Welcome the Hellmouth or how I learned you can't outrun a vampire!
by Sir Rabby
Summary: Self-insert discovers just how far he's willing to go to live through Sunnydale's Madness. He dredges up a whole heap of BTVS weirdness in order to survive a town where humans are always on the menu. Follow Nick as he bulls, bluffs and bullshits his own path through canon, with the help of the B-cast.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome the Hellmouth, or How I found out you can't outrun a vampire.  
*Chapter 001: March 9th, 1997*

I woke up, like most mornings since I've arrived here, sweaty and my heart seemingly trying to escape my chest. Oh well. I might as well get out of bed and try to and put on a brave façade.

Maybe this will be the day I venture outside.

It's been only been six days so far. I still have six years to go.

Fuck me.

The only thing keeping me going is the fact that things could have been worse. Now I know what you're thinking. How could living in Sunnydale be any worse?

My leg could still have been broken but apparently it got fixed by #$#$#$#. Oddly enough there was less hair on it though. I could have also been homeless, on the Hellmouth, with no food or water.

Thankfully though the #$#$#$# that brought me here also transported my parents house right with me. The first day or so I spent worrying about my family and whether or not I had made them homeless. It soon dawned on me though.

The newspapers on the kitchen counters were from the late nineties. The pictures on the walls all depicted me as a kid and the least said about the bulky computer in the corner the better.

Desperate for at least a single piece of modern tech I raced to my bedroom. I opened the door and was greeted by the sight of plushy toys and legos scattered around the room. I picked up the only toy I really remembered having back when this was still... the present... , Mr. Biggums, my black teddy bear. Now armed with my teddy I explored the rest of the house and eventually settled for sleeping on the living room couch on my first night here.

You might wonder why I didn't just immediately commandeer my parent's master bedroom. I certainly wasn't going to be able to fit in my child size race-car bed.

I was clearly being silly and still holding on to comforting lies.

Like the fact that my Dad might walk through the door at any moment. Like the fact that there might be another #$#$#$# that would bring me back home.

I'm not going to lie and say I dealt well with the realization I was going to have to do this alone. There may have been tantrum or two. A crushed tea table, a broken mirror and a few hours I can't account for. My dad's liquor cabinet lock was certainly no match for my fury. The first few days passed like a haze.

Fucking #$#$#$#.

Once I calmed down, for a given value of calm at least, I started taking inventory of my supplies. The refrigerator was fully stocked, as was the pantry, for which I thanked my Mom profusely. I vaguely recalled my Dad having a briefcase with all our important documents and more importantly the keys to the safe in his study. After a few minutes of head scratching and frantic searching I finally found it in my Moms closet.

Having located my passport, curiously not those of my parents, and the keys I went to the safe to see whether or not I was going to be a pauper soon. I fiddled with the keys for a bit and was finally rewarded with the reinforced lid opening up.

SCORE.

The safe held my Moms jewelry, a bundle of cash, a whole stash of other papers and odd little black book. Ignoring the book for now I grabbed the cash and started counting. I'm still mildly ashamed it took me until my second recount to grasp the fact that the cash wasn't of the green American persuasion.

Great. I have fourteen thousand in Guilders, a whole bunch of jewelry that may or not be worth the resale value and a bunch of bearer bonds. It's not terrible. It's not amazing either.

I stuffed everything but the cash and a handful of bonds back in the safe, reached in and grabbed the little black book. Its cover was entirely plain except for the title, oddly enough my name, which was red/brown-ish. And it was... flaking?

Ok.

I opened the book and found that every page except the first one was entirely empty. The first page however had a single line on it, written in the same flaking reddish color.

**You're not that stupid, Nick, figure out how to use this book and you might not be entirely alone anymore.**

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 002: March 10th, 1997*

The little black book turned out to be vastly overestimating my stupidity levels. I tried the obvious solutions first like just writing in it. The ink simply slipped off the pages. My plan b, using a pencil, didn't pan out either. The carbon of the pencil tip just never crumbled.

I tried ripping out a page but the paper didn't give way. After spending a little over a hour utterly failing to make the book do whatever it was supposed to do I gave up.

Instead I spent yesterday afternoon running through everything I remembered about Sunnydale. I had a vague sense of the bigger threats but I definitely couldn't prepare for every little encounter. Then it hit me.

Why the fuck would I stay here?

I considered just leaving the sunny city but every time I tried to pack a bag I felt a little shiver. When I decided to ignore the ominous feeling and continue packing it got worse, much worse. I tried to press on, no pain-no gain and all that rot, and scurried around for my passport.

The moment I picked it up I projectile vomited all over the passport.

Once I resumed control of my bowels I yelled out to no-one in particular, "OK! I give. I give. I'll stay on the fucking Hellmouth!"

The shivering, sweating and stomach churning immediately ceased. #$#$#$# clearly doesn't want me to leave. This utterly depressing realization nearly sent me spiraling me back into my destructive tantrum.

Instead I decided to take a nice long bath, beer in one hand and one of my Dads cigars in the other. It did help make me feel marginally less depressed.

After rinsing myself off, slipping into some comfortable Dad pajamas, I headed back to the living room. I might as well clean up the passport since there probably isn't a Dutch embassy anywhere nearby. I looked over my picture on the passport and that's when I noticed it.

All the little things that left me feeling a little off since this mad #$#$#$# started. Why my leg wasn't broken, where my stubbly beard disappeared to and the general feeling of disquiet.

I'm sixteen again.

"God damn it. Are you enjoying this? You're going to make me go to that fucking school aren't you?"

The shivers came back.

Note to self. Perhaps I should stop antagonizing the #$#$#$#.

The shivers let up.

I tentatively pat myself on the back and prepared myself for classes with the 'Scooby gang'. I will of course never, ever, call them that.

And that brings me to today, May 10th, my first school day. Literally on the Boca del Inferno. It's also a certain blond Slayer's first day. Coincidence?

Hah. Hah. Hahahahaha.

Laughing emotional distress away is a thing right?

Anyways. So there I was, dressed in my Dads least upsetting outfit, backpack filled with school supplies. I'm almost immediately struck by yet another realization. I have no fucking clue where the school is, or how I am supposed to get to it. Maybe I should have spent the past week... less drunk and more pro-active-y?

Nah. I'll just walk around I guess.

I opened the front door for the first time since #$#$#$# and immediately my eye was drawn to the Ford Mustang convertible on our drive-way. I knew because it said on the back of the car. I knew fuck all about cars.

My Dad never let me drive his car when I was younger.

My Dad isn't here right now. And this isn't his car.

I ruthlessly quash the quiet feeling of despair and force myself to look on the bright side.

My Dad isn't here right now. The car is all mine.

All mine! I spent a few minutes looking for the keys in the house, which obviously turned out to be in the ignition, and finally left to go find the school. When I drove off the drive-way and onto the reasonably well maintained Californian street road I finally got my first real break since #$#$#$#.

Right in front of me was another convertible, which wasn't all that uncommon, but the person driving caught my eye. If I wasn't mistaken that was Cordelia and a friend of hers. She too would be going to school now, and hopefully wasn't picking up another one of her inane friends, so I simply followed her.

What could go wrong after all.

I obviously haven't learned a single thing. The trip didn't take long, Sunnydale really isn't that big, and it went off without a hitch.

Until Cordelia stopped her car, I failed to maintain proper distance, and I rammed straight into the girls car. This will make a great fucking first impression.

Hey, sorry I fucked up your car, but I was following you. Erm.. yea.

I turned off the engine, gather a pen and a sheet of paper, and got out of the car. Cordelia was already stalking towards me, furiously waving the blond chit with her back.

The pretty brunette immediately rounded on and screeched "What do you think you're doing?! You can't just bump into people!"

As I was about the reply she just continued rambling at me. I think I caught something about her Dad, or her allowance or something.

When she finally seemed to notice I wasn't replying she said, "Well! What do you have to say for yourself?"

I tried to stay polite but... I just didn't feel like it. My bad day, scratch that – bad week, trumped whatever has her in such a tiffy.

Instead I said, "Are you done having your one sided conversation now?"

The brunettes eyes seemed to flash dangerously.

Cutting her off before she could start again I continued, "My family just moved to the States so I don't have insurance yet, but I can go with you to a mechanic and have it fixed for ya."

"Oh! Where from?"

What. How is this relevant right now.

"Err. The Netherlands. Anyways... or I could give you my number-."

She scoffed. At me. What the fuck.

"Mister if you think-"

Two can play the interrupt game.

"-and address and you could have an estimate for the damage sent to me."

"Oh."

After that things progressed as you might guess and she acquiesced to letting me follow her to Sunnydale High. I can't believe that was the least upsetting conversation I was going to have with her today.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 003: May 10th, 1997-A*

So there I was, waiting for my turn with Principal Flutie, Buffy somehow must have gotten here before me. Since the moment I set foot in Sunnydale High I have been on the lookout. For anything really, but the upsetting thing was that it felt just like a regular school. If I didn't know the halls were designated creepy crawly buffets I wouldn't have noticed anything.

The Principal snapped me out of my morbid thoughts when he said, "Mr. Blackwater? We were expecting you last week."

Oh. Great. Think up some bullshit quick. I had some time as he was still directed Buffy to her next class.

I spent the week terrified out of my mind and/or drunk off my ass.

No. Bad thoughts.

"The whole moving across continents thing got to me Mr. Flutie. I apologize for the delay."

There. That wasn't too snarky was it?

Buffy snorted as she was walking away.

"Do you find that amusing Miss Summers? You can wait here until I'm done with Mr. Blackwater here. You both need to go to the library for your books."

With that little mishap out of the way the Principal gave me my schedule for the semester, a few warnings and request to stay out of trouble. I gave him a heartfelt and sincere guarantee I wouldn't.

We were both obviously lying, but not doing so would have been rude, but we were both unwilling to stray from the comforting social contract.

When I left the oppressive office of the Principal Buffy was still waiting on the little penance chairs.

"Hey. You're Buffy right?"

"Uhuh."

"Cool. I'm Nick. Let's go to the library then."

"All right."

We walked for a little while in silence, not awkward at all, until we came up to the cafeteria.

"So... Buffy. You're new then."

"So I am Nick."

"Me too."

The blond Slayer raised a singular eyebrow and replied, "I know... "

"So the Principal just sent two new kids to find the library."

"Ah! I was following you."

"I was... I was just walking I guess. Trying not mention how awkward all this is."

Buffy smiled and said, "At least we got past that."

"Well Buffy. I guess admitting our mutual ignorance was the ideal icebreaker."

God, even in my head that didn't sound good.

The blond girl laughed though and replied, "I can hide behind my extreme blondness. What's your excuse Nick?"

"Severe jetlag."

"That would do it."

We eventually accosted another Sunnydale High student and had the girl, Marcie I think, take us to the library. When we got there Mr. Giles was already in his signature pose.

No. It's not what you think.

He wasn't sprawled all over the ground. It was the other thing. Him cleaning his glasses while looking extremely British.

"Miss Summers?"

"That would be me yes, and you are?"

I was acutely feeling the man's gaze as he tried to subtly convey his Watcher duties to the Slayer.

"I'm Rupert Giles, the... the librarian I guess. What can I do for you?"

This was when I jumped in with, "We need books."

Brilliant me I am.

"Well. Yes, which kind of books might you require?"

Buffy spoke up and rattled off a list of the books she needed while I spent a minute of two looking for my own list. Once I finally located it I silently passed it to Mr. Giles and started browsing the stacks on the tables.

My eye was immediately drawn to the giant tome with the title of Vampyre. I ignored Mr. Giles gaze burning a hole through my back and sat down to immerse myself in the book. At last Buffy drew the man's attention and both of them drifted off to closed off corner of the library.

The book was handwritten, on what appeared to be rather thick vellum, but otherwise was very easily readable. Apparently not all the mystically related books are in dead languages only fourteen people speak.

_The world is far older then sources such as the Abrahamic scriptures would indicate. In the earliest of times the world was held by primordial powers, ancient demons, capable of shaping the natural world to accommodate their inhuman desires._

Bad. Ass.

How the hell do people like Xander not enjoy this? All this knowledge is fascinating as fuck.

"Here are your books, mr... ?" asked Mr. Giles

"Blackwater. Thank you, sir."

"You're quite welcome. Shouldn't you be off to class now?"

I looked around and saw that Buffy was waiting on me near the exit.

"Ah yea. So... what's the policy on lending out books?"

"The... policy?"

"Yup." I picked up the thick tome and continued, "I would like to borrow this one."

"Ah. My apologies but that one is erm... "

As amusing as it is seeing the British Watcher stammer I was relieved when Buffy helped the man out.

"That looks like a private book of Giles's. I don't think it belongs to the library."

Giles immediately jumped on the lifeline and said, "Yes, indeed. My eyes must be going, but that is one of mine I'm afraid."

I was definitely not going to let them deter me. Until I arrange for little miss super strength to care enough about me... to well... keep my blood firmly in my veins, I wasn't about to risk not know the specific details of Vampyre lore.

The show might have skipped some stuff, or more likely, I could have simply forgotten key steps. What if I cut off a branch later, whittle it into a stake, and it turns out only hardwood trees work.

Yea. Fuck that.

"So... it's going to be around though, right? I mean, I can back later and read it?"

"Uhh, well... if you must... "

Like I said, not going to let him deter me, might as well drive that message home now.

"You know, for a librarian, you're not really all that enthused about pupils reading."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 004: May 10th, 1997-B*

Once Buffy and I walked out of the library we were met by Marcie, the girl who showed us the way to the library. I found it a little odd she was still there but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I smiled my patented 1000watt smile and said, "Hey Marcie. We have science with Mr. Gregory now. Could you take us there?"

The girl flushed immediately and forgoing a verbal reply she just nodded. We followed the girl all the way to class, which incidentally was a long way off, the school was massive. Well, at least for my standards. My last high-school had maybe 800 students, this enormous complex routinely taught well over 2000 students.

When we got to class Buffy opened the door and held it open for us. I turned towards Marcie to let her through but the girl finally spoke up.

"Oh. No. I-I d-don't have science right now. Bye."

And she sped off.

I feel as though I'm missing something here.

The teacher, Mr. Gregory, was a middle aged man who seemed to genuinely care about being an educator. I didn't think anyone of the teachers here would hold my attention but he certainly kept me awake. There's just something about enthusiasm from a teacher.

Incidentally I didn't sit down near Buffy, she went off to Xander and Willow, I guess they met earlier today. The only seat available was one up front near the teacher and one next to Cordelia's group. Despite my better judgment I sat next to the pretty brunette.

The blond future vampiress across from me turned around and said, "Hi! I'm Harmony, Cordelia was just telling us about you."

I glance over to Cordelia, smirk, and turned back to the blond girl.

"Is that so?"

Open ended questions for the win.

"Uhuh. She said you have a totally rad car but you can't really drive it."

I guess I kinda deserve that. Still, let's not start this whole thing off by ripping into the girl who managed to swing not perma-dying.

So instead I settled for the neutral, "Yea. I'm not having one of my better days."

Of course this was when Mr. Gregory took note of me.

"Mr. Blackwater, is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

"Not really, Professor."

A little flattery never hurts.

"Then kindly stop distracting everyone."

The rest of the class passed by rather quickly, we all got our homework assignments, but since I'm not really a child anymore and have no interest in doing any of that... I was going to make some calls to a certain publishing house and get the answers that way.

As I navigated my way through the throngs' of students I tapped Cordelia on her shoulder and asked her, "Hey Cordelia. Do you have English Lit now?"

She replied as she kept walking, "Are you trying to follow me places again Nick?"

"Well, you do know seem to know the way."

"I guess it's your lucky day then mister."

I should have stopped while I was ahead but I never quite mastered that particular skill. Like common sense it mostly eludes me.

"And I can't say the view from back here isn't enjoyable."

Now, a few things happened at the same time. To my left one of the students, Jesse, walked into a trophy cabinet. The tall boy fell backwards onto Xander who struggled to keep him upright. He didn't quite make it and both of them barreled to the ground causing a chain reaction that led to a bunch of entangled nameless students. On my right Harmony turned towards me, bumped into a nameless student, which caused yet another student to spill her drink on yet another student.

Cordelia looked back over towards me; one eye brow raised and looked past me, looked back at me, smiled and turned back.

Huh. It didn't go that bad.

Which of course was the point I finally noticed the chaos behind me. Eh. Not my problem. The rest of the trip to English Lit passed without incident as did the class itself. Once the end of class bell rang I simply followed everyone else to the cafeteria.

I went over to one of the vending machines, got myself a coke with coins the school provided, turned around and surveyed the lunch hall. I noticed Harmony waving me over just as Cordelia was trying to catch Buffy's eye.

I slowly made my way over to the group and sat down next to the blond girl. Over the course of 45 seconds I found out what her favorite food was, two of her allergies and the names of everyone in school as well as their medical histories.

Hah. I am never remembering this. When I mentioned I was probably going to keep thinking of most students as 'no name-mc nameless' I inadvertently solidified my position in the 'Cordettes'.

Finally, my inherent lazy-ness is working out for me.

"Hey Cordy. Did you know that Buffy girl?"

"Oh please no. I thought she was cool, she's from LA you know, but then she goes and rebuffs me!"

Well. I guess we have a Draco/Harry situation here.

"Hey! Who said you could call me that?"

Call her what? Oh fuck. Did I just use Xanders petname for her?

"Call you what?"

"You just called me Cordy. That's for friends and family, and you don't qualify!"

Now I could play this straight or...

Flashing her a short grin I replied, "Yet."

She didn't quite flush but I could tell I scored a hit. Or just maybe I just pissed her off. I couldn't really tell, which was worrying.

This wouldn't be the first time people think I'm smug cunt.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 005: May 10th, 1997-C*

Nothing much interesting happened the rest of the day. Except of course for the cold body found in an abandoned classroom, which well... was a thing.

Dead bodies laying about in classrooms.

I can't let myself forget that very crucial fact. Life is cheap in Sunnydale.

Since I happen to know that the Slayer is on the case I don't feel bad about skipping Chemistry and heading towards the library. Not that it would have stopped me, shit... vampires are scary, but it might have made me marginally more upset than usual.

Mr. Giles was looking as fabulous as he did three hours ago.

"Hello Mr. Giles."

"Ah. Good afternoon Mr. Blackwater. Did you forget a book earlier?"

Isn't he the one holding the Vampyre book hostage?

"Not really, sir."

If there was anyone I wasn't going to risk alienating it's the man with the plan. I walked over to the table I sat at earlier and wasn't at all surprised to see the volume I wanted gone. I looked over at Giles and he was curiously absent. He wasn't in his office, nor was he hiding out behind one of the bookcases. I could have sworn I saw a flash of something...

Fuck it.

I went into my backpack and fished out my little black notebook. Earlier I had gotten the vaguest sense of a trickle in the back of my mind. Odd, I couldn't pinpoint the source, but informative nonetheless.

Let's try blood on book.

I looked around for a sharp item and managed to snag a pair of scissors from Mr. Giles' work desk. As I walked back to my seat I pressed the tip of one of the shears in my pinky, pushed around the tiny incision and let... one... two... three drops fall on the book.

**SALUTATIONS MORTAL. **

The book was gone. The library was gone. Everything was gone. I remained.

"H-h-helllo?"

**I/WE HAVE MY/OUR EYE/S ON YOU MORTAL. WILL YOU CHAMPION GOOD?**

"W-what?"

**WILL YOU SPREAD EVIL?**

"Uhghh.."

**IT MATTERS NOT. **

I am so very fucking confused. Can it read my mind?

**YOU BELONG TO ME/US. GO FORTH. AND BE.**

And just like that I was back in the library. My heart was trying to evacuate my chest area again and I could feel the sweat dripping from my brows.

Nothing around me changed except for the little black book. On the second page there was a message from an entity. He/she tells me dripping my blood on an unidentified book might not be the smartest choice. He/she also wants me to make fire bombs.

The book is clearly psychotic as fuck.

I try to write in the book with a pencil and it does absolutely nothing. It appears whatever is powering this either needs more blood, which is rather upsetting. Or... it's a one way communication.

I could worry about it sometime not now as I just saw Mr. Giles return.

"Hey Mr. Giles. You wouldn't happen to know where that fantasy book went right?"

"Ah yes. Well. Very well. It's on the third row behind the world history section."

"Thank you."

I went over to where the elder Brit directed me, found the book and marched right back to the seat. I set out to speed-read through to book and mark interesting sections so I can copy them over in my notebook.

Not that notebook. The one that didn't threw me in a pit of Darkness. Capital D.

Over the course of the next hour I found out that drinking holy water doesn't do diddly to protect your blood, some vampires aren't even really affected by it and that staking a vampire with anything even remotely woody would work. Silver does nothing, no mythical herbs, just sunlight, stakes and decapitation.

Which I've always found a weird one... how many creatures could possibly survive that? Shouldn't we just assume it works and if not get ourselves a special mention?

For instance; that Fayarl demon over there can only be killed by a dagger to the groin. Far enough, but I'd be willing to bet money that just cutting off pieces of it and see what sticks might work too.

Not enough to stake, heh, my life on it but... then again that might explain why it's all so jumbly.

I was interrupting from my musing about the mortality of demons by Buffy barging into the library and demanding Mr. Giles speaks to her. The man kept looking over his shoulders towards me while at the same time trying to convince the irate girl of something. I wasn't quite close enough to hear. He finally managed to coral the girl into his office.

I looked at my Dad's, or mine now I guess, watch and notice it's creeping close to 4pm. Time to get the fuck out of dodge. Sunset may be around 9pm around here but that just means I have 5 hours to get home. Here in Sunnydale where anything could delay me... I wasn't about to take a chance like that on my first school day.

As I gathered my things and started walking towards the exit I was distracted by Buffy rushing out of Giles's office, screaming.

"I. DON'T. WANT. TO!"

Followed by Giles's, "You can't run from this Buffy. The vampires won't care that you'll be 'retired'."

Wow.

The old G-man is throwing caution to the wind I see. I watched Buffy run out of the library as Mr. Giles finally appeared to notice me. Before he could say anything I told the man.

"Mr. Giles. So... a stuffy old man, a young girl, mentions of a vampire and to top it off a student that died of exsanguination. Short of outright bribery, how exactly do you plan on talking your way out of this?"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 006: May 10th, 1997-D*

It took me some doing but eventually I managed to verbally bludgeon Mr. Giles into submission. All I really had to do was convey my utter contempt for the thought I'd be actively searching out vampires. You know, on account of vampires being scary as fuck.

Once I got through to him the man seemed to come to life and set me up splendidly. He got me in touch with his pet priest, lent me his Vampyre book for the night, and gave me directions to the nearest international bank. His assistance with the antiquated-as-fuck fax machine helped me out a great deal.

I spent the rest of the afternoon acquiring some American greenbacks, was pleasantly surprised by my parents' bank account being active and entirely accessible to me, and afterwards drove off to the mall collecting a whole bunch of _stuff._ With my financial future turning out to be entirely secure, no part-time job for me this time around, I went to bed relatively happy.

I checked my little black book again just before I fell asleep. Nothing. Apparently the entities didnt feel like sharing any helpful hints.

**XxXXxX**

**May 11th, 1997**

I was preparing some breakfast for myself when I noticed my mind kept drifting to a subject I'd rather not entertain. Jesse, one of the named characters, got himself turned into a vampire yesterday.

Perhaps the act of simply interacting with the 'Scooby gang' might have butterfly'd that away. More likely though is the fact that the boy is gone now.

I wasn't exactly concerned about the moral repercussions, the name of the game is survival – not bring as many people as you can with you-, nor the implications about what Xander might do to me if they every found out about my origins.

I was worried about the slippery slope.

What if I'm walking home and see a vamp drag some dude into an alley? I'd probably walk right on past it. Unfortunately there's stuff out there that I cannot ignore. For one the Mayor eating dozens of babies. I'm sure untold other horrors are unfolding as we speak but... the baby thing will always get to me.

So, in order to prepare for inevitable day my traitorous conscience will drag me into open conflict with the man, which brings me to the Magic Shop. Or as it's known now: Uncle Bob's Magic Cabinet.

The proprietor of the shop immediate honed in on me, "Good morning! Could I interest you in a love potion for a special someone? No? A crystal of farsight? No?"

"Right. Let's immediately cut the crap. I need two volumes I know you have, The History of Witchcraft and Magicke Moste Potent, as well as any other works you could recommend."

The man's reply wasn't as enthused as I'd hoped he'd be, "Well well. A regular little practitioner you are."

"Again. I don't have time for this nonsense. Just get me those books and I'll tell you exactly which vampire would have killed you within six months if it wasn't, for me."

There. Let's see him disregard that.

The man paled significantly, sighed and waved me over to the back of the shop.

"I keep the items with real punch here in the back. Have a seat, I'll bring you a selection, and some gin. Strike that... a lot of gin."

The man seems to be handling the news of his impending doom rather well. Then again... he is a magic shop owner on the Hellmouth. He clearly knows what's happening around here and chooses to stick around.

When the proprietor came back he had a stack of about five books with him.

"Here are the two you wanted, and these three will neatly accommodate you. Now. Spill before I trap your essence in a vase."

I raised an eyebrow and slowly came to grips with that super specific threat.

"Around April 1998 William the Bloody will come in here to demand a love spell."

His caustic reply was immediate, "Why would he kill me for that? If I die, he won't have his spell... "

"Because it's a fucking vampire. Haven't you gotten the memo yet?"

"Watch it boy!"

Ok, calm the fuck down Nick. We don't want to spend centuries in a vase.

"All right. Sorry for the outburst. I meant that Spike is functionally retarded. Scary... but stupid. Perhaps you could cast an anti-violence spell?"

"Don't be preposterous, boy. I'm not paying that price to the Transuding Furies."

The man finally sat down, poured himself a glass of gin, and slowly started sipping it. He picked up one of the books he brought for me.

On the cover it depicted a pentagram and a whole host of other smallish mystical shapes. The title however was again in that flaky red/brown color – Flesh Magicks. The man then flicked his wrist and magically sent it straight at me.

The book hit me right in my face and split my lip open.

Before I could adequately express how I felt about that the man spoke up again, "Boy. You smell like Blood Magic. Explain."

Well fuck. Obviously he means my little black book. It's just as obvious that I can never speak about it. Flashes of a seeming eternity in a vase sped through my mind. Would I be aware inside? Or would I just pop up four centuries later when someone accidently crushes it.

Shivers.

Oh. They want me to tell him. Good lord, yes!

"I have a #$#$#$#, which #$#$#$# also #$#$#$#. They #$#$#$# #$#$#$# #$#$#$#."

Of all the... THEY are blocking me from comprehending the conversation I'm having right now. What the fuck.

"Good. I expect you here three times a week, between four and six. I think your... benefactors will explain when they feel like it. Now get out of my shop, boy."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 007: May 12th, 1997*

So I've been forcibly apprenticed to a reasonably intimidating Warlock by my... benefactors. At least... that's the word the Warlock used; somehow though I know that benefactor doesn't quite grasp the particulars. It feels more like they are my patron, godparent and torturous warden all rolled into one.

Not quite sure how to feel about them beyond pants-shitting-terror and an oddly endearing.

Beyond that though...

The books were utterly fascinating; I could barely bring myself to go to class after leaving Bob's Magic hangout. Especially 'Flesh Magicks': the tome contained spell after spell dealing with the _infliction_ of bodily harm. It contains blessings that for lack of a better word either 'strengthen' you or 'burden' your foes. And let's not forget the rituals for permanently sacrificing away _everything _related to the human body.

Guess what falls under _everything_: Injuries, Pain, Disease and even mild cases of Death.

The only downside is rather obvious when you consider it. There has to be someone that takes the imbalance. That means for every cancer patient you 'heal' you invariably inflict it on someone healthy. I forced myself to keep reading ahead instead of fantasizing about all the loopholes I might abuse.

Turns out there are very little of those. A sick person for a healthy person means you can't dump everything on an elderly individual who's about to die. You can however use a healthy individual with suicidal tendencies. Regards, I wouldn't want to rely on the fact that opportunities to do this might come up.

From what I've gathered every single ritual is subtle different from every other ritual, even the ones that explicitly do the same thing. The only consistency is the fact that each one comes in three stages.

The first stage is the set-up. This includes the ingredients, the paraphernalia you need as well as the time and location you hold the ritual.

The second stage is either the prayer/incantation, only applicable when dealing with rituals that require a patron god, or an offering to the specific demon you're invoking. Either way... this part is simply the bit where you beg for power.

The last stage is the waiting for the effect to kick in. If you've wronged/offended the demon or god and they take it personally... you want to find out immediately while you could still fix it. Beyond that the basic sci-fi rules are in play. Powerful, cheap and reliable; pick two.

The other books were interesting but they simply didn't draw me as much as 'Flesh Magicks'. Frankly because _most_ of the other spells in _all _the other books require the intervention of a higher being.

While this might be acceptable if you're an Ethan Rayne, Rupert Giles or Willow Rosenburg... it doesn't work if you're me and you have a host of extremely possessive/jealous patrons watching you. No invoking Hecate for easy enchantment breaking for instance. I'm not sure what would happen to me but... it can't be good. For that matter... I'm not sure what would happen to Hecate should she answer me.

The blessings are extremely interesting. The whole basis behind them is a duality of balance. You can strengthen yourself or an ally ... but only by taking it temporarily from another ally.

That means that theoretically I should be able to share the Slayers passive regeneration with anyone deemed an ally by the donor, including myself, at the cost of the Slayer being unable to use it. The other side of the coin of blessings is the ability to inflict _costs _on enemies.

I can't arbitrarily take away Spike's strength, he obviously wouldn't deem me an ally, but I can encumber and slow him down with _extra _weight. Spike still has all his vampiric strength but now he has to carry triple his body mass with him. Again the same sci-fi rules apply though: time intensive, cheap, lengthy duration of the buff/debuff- pick two.

**XxXXxX**

**May 13th, 1997**

Willow told me Jesse's dead. There's an air of despair around the entire 'Scooby Gang'. Even a silly bint like Harmony could tell.

"Sheesh. What do you think is up with the loser squad?"

Yup, I'm definitely not getting involved in this mess.

Some other 'Cordette' replied, "Jesse, you know – the tall beanstalk -, hasn't been in school the past two days. It might have something to do with that."

Over the past two days in Sunnydale High I've been maintaining a balancing act. Since I'm not sure whether or not I have plot protection I didn't want to be heavily associated with the 'Scoobies'. Not because I'm worried about my personal safety, any more than usual, but because I know exactly how terrible the next Principal will be. When Snyder shows up I have no intention of crossing paths with the man. I can't really remember whether or not he was in on the whole Hellmouth thing... but regardless. The man is a grade A cunt. He's basically Severus Snape without the whole super spy thing.

This just means I have to stay close to Miss Chase. She's the daughter of the wealthiest dude in town, if I have my fanon right, who is also a major contributor to the schools budget. On the other hand, having the super powered killing machine like me certainly wouldn't hurt my life expectancy.

Yesterday I made contact with Willow during computer class. I managed to snag the seat next to hear and we spoke mostly about the curriculum. That was when Cordelia sent over Harmony to find out what's going on with me.

"Hey Nick... don't you smell that?"

Oh great.

High school politics, this has to be the cruelest thing the benefactors set me up with. I stood up so I towered over the girl but I took care to keep a smile plastered on my face.

"Not really, Harmony, but I expect you'll enlighten me?"

Willow looked like she wanted to speak up, the sweet girl, but I waved her down and just settled down to stare at the blond.

"Uhm. I mean-."

And now it's time to keep interrupting her. I doubt she'll be able to keep two different thoughts in her mind.

"You were trying to dissuade me from hanging out with Willow?"

"Yes! See, I told Cordelia you'd get it!"

And that confirms my suspicions the Charisma Carpenter expy was behind this. Time to show her she can't dictate my movements, at least not without mild repercussions.

"I'll take it under advisement, Harmony, but thanks for your warning." I made sure to smile my widest 1000watt smile and continued, "In the future, if Cordelia wants to tell me something, she can very easily talk to me herself. I don't bite, much."

I could tell I she didn't know how to reply so I put my arm around her shoulder, pulled her close in, and whispered into her ear.

"I thought you and Cordelia were close friends?"

Confusion flashed across her face.

"We've know-."

I interrupted her again after leaning in.

"Friends don't send friends on errands, are you sure she sees you that way?"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 008: May 16th, 1997*

The sounds of the party roared all around me. I sat back on my comfy couch and surveyed my teenaged empire. My little conundrum from earlier was solved.

Why bother kowtowing to the teenagers' ridiculous standards when you can simply rule them by enabling their vices. Harmony was exceptionally eager to help me set this party up, after I rubbed the loss of her entire lab-class assignment sufficiently, and handled most of the logistics.

I just bribed a shop owner for a couple draft-kegs. Three hundred dollars bought me the ability to shut up anyone in our year up by threatening to disinvite them to the next party.

All was well in the world.

As I sipped my beer I keenly felt the absence of a cigarette. Despite not having smoked any, at least not in this body, the urge to smoke is still present. Instead of breaking I decided to distract myself.

And a distraction just walked in.

"Cordelia, are you enjoying the party?"

"Bravo, Nick. I didn't think you had it in you."

I know I shouldn't poke. And yet that never stopped me before.

"Now now, Cordy, that was needlessly antagonistic."

If I was wondering whether or not I injected enough smug in my chiding tone it didn't last long.

"I know what you're doing, Nick! And don't call me that, we're not friends!"

Yup, she's getting pissed off.

"What am I doing, Cordy?" I said as I grinned the type of grin that could make Tattletale wince.

"Y-you! You're _subverting _me and you're using Harmony to do it!"

"Bravo, Cordy." I replied, throwing her mocking tone back at her.

"Stop calling me that!"

All in all, it was a terribly amusing night. When I had finally cleared everyone out around two-ish I went to my parents room, took out my notebook, and promptly cut into my pinky again.

Three drop's later and... I was back in the proverbial pit of Despair and Darkness. Trust me when I say there's a good reason for the capitals.

**MY/OUR MORTAL.**

The voice, voices, assaulted me from everywhere at once. There was an undertone of polite acknowledgement under a mountain of supreme confidence in that proclamation.

**CONTINUE MY/OUR MORTAL. I/WE AM/ARE WATCHING. **

A roaring river of possessiveness.

**ALWAYS.**

Dread.

When I came to it was morning.

**XxXXxX**

**May 19th, 1997**

I've had three magic sessions under my belt so far. I call them sessions because my, for lack of better word, instructor/tormentor felt you could only learn magic by doing magic. And let me tell you, it's exhausting.

Not only physically exhausting but emotionally draining as well. Twisting my emotions _this _way and then _that _way is intense. I say emotion but its mostly pure intent; you have envision what you want, link it to another concept, and presto.

That didn't mean there wasn't an ungodly amount of theory I had to memorize. It was just that _while _I was memorizing said theory Uncle Bob threw things at me. Hard!

The very first spell we worked on was one that hardened my skin to a ridiculous degree. I assumed he chose the spell for its usefulness and the easy way with which I could cast it. All you needed was a shallow cut, performed by you – on yourself- anywhere on your body, and to focus the release of energy to do your bidding. No words, no casting delay, its bleed and go.

The sheer utility of spell obviously appealed greatly to me until I realized something. It's not only a defensive tool; it's a _one use _defensive tool, which protects me from harm until I am hit. Incidentally, have I mentioned I need to cut into my skin to cast magic?

When later I asked my instructor just how hard the skin would become, and when to best use the spell, the man just laughed. His exact words were 'Harder than before, you insipid child, if you're stupid enough to want to figure it out let me know. It'll be amusing. You're better served spending your energy taking out what's putting you in danger.'

I stubbornly resisted the urge to lash out and settled for frowning really hard at him. Just then I noticed, from the corner of my eye, a can of tuna flying straight at me.

I reflexively twisted my newly gifted and personalized 'focal bracelet', felt the sharp blade cut into my arm, and forced my mind to think _Fortress._ I pulled it off just in time to lightly feel the blunt impact on my shoulder but was saved the inconvenient pain. Usually I could expect a follow up coming almost immediately after the first, probably because my instructor is cruel bastard, but sometimes he let me hang.

This wasn't one of those times.

From behind Uncle Bob a teddy bear rose and rushed at me in a super-man pose. Like always I jerked my bracelet, twisted my mind, and realized I was a fucking idiot. I just bled myself to blunt the impact of a teddy bear.

"At least you're coming to terms with your stupidity, boy."

God damn it. Sometimes I wondered if he could read my mind.

"It's all over your face. We might as well call it a day on that spell for now."

Bastard!

My instructor got up from his chair and went off to the back. While the man was gone, I took the time go through the second spell he taught me. It involved offloading my injuries onto a lodestone.

The stone had to be both precious and 'loved'. The specifics are vague and hard to convey but it boiled down to a gem that means a lot to someone _else_. You don't necessary have to steal it but when you weren't allowed to buy or trade for it, otherwise it wouldn't be sufficiently loved if someone is willing to part with it, you quickly run out of options.

Until I remembered my Dad's safe, my Mom's engagement ring in there specifically, and went to retrieve it. Uncle Bob coached my through the ritual to designate it my _personal _lodestone.

I shook the bracelet, twisted my mind into _Bank Safe_, and felt the accumulated cuts, pains and aches of the day disappear into my Mom's engagement ring that hung around my neck.

I had to repeat the spell another three times before I got everything out.

"Stop playing with yourself, boy, and pay attention."

My instructor had walked in again... with a little blond lab puppy?

"This is a flea bag. It's yours now, keep it alive."

I was confused, incredibly confused in fact, but I did manage to stutter out, "W-what's it's name?"

"Who knows. You name it, you don't name it, I don't care. Just take it and get out. It's past six and I have actual people coming."

Well fuck you too. I need _some _answers.

"But why? Is that supposed to be my familiar or something?"

Was it me or did he look oddly... pitying?

"Or something. Now get out!"

I guess not, I took the little puppy, gathered my stuff and drove home.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 009: May 20th, 1997-A*

Since it has been a while since I scoured my little black notebook I decided that to get it now. The first few pages were empty but scattered throughout were a variety of hints, ploys and general madness. All the ideas and tips ranged from – holy shit epic level items – to utter nonsense like 'Ben is Glory'.

What.

A couple of the mentions were obvious and I have thought about this myself. I've already purchased a repeating crossbow, a handful of super soakers filled with holy water and I've looked up the instructions for a reasonable incendiary device. I hadn't considered UV lights, the Vampyr book is obvious silent on the matter, but it might work. Or perhaps it's the only sunlight which will work. I'm sure I'll get to it eventually.

Holy water clearly held the interest of these entities. Beyond the super soakers I set up little balloon's filled with the stuff. I also had other little balloons with a little diesel, perhaps tying the two together and lobbing it at a vamp might burn it whole. I'm dubious though... maybe I shouldn't have skipped chemistry class.

I did order a water tank that I could hook up to my sprinker systems, I'm sure a decent plumber could set up something sweet, and I'll have it blessed weekly.

The ordeal with Ethan Rayne has amazing potential, if I can reasonably expect to retain the knowledge, should I handle it right.

Stopping Buffy from having sex is ... how the fuck do I do this? Perhaps get Miss Gypsy together with Angel and have her explain the spell? I'll see what pans out. Seeing as I'm already in her computer class, I might take advantage; I can try my hand at technomancy later. Unless of course... my benefactors oppose my involvement with the 'machine spirit' in which case I'm screwed.

A handful of ideas were extremely lucrative. Apparently there's a glove in LA that can kill Old Ones, I vague recall something about an Angel episode, which I need to start preparing for.

If it's as powerful as I've been led to believe... I may not have enough funds to get it legit. If I try to steal it... I'm going to need muscle. I'm going to have to think on it.

Another artifact mentioned was the 'Orbs of Nezzla'Khan. All I know about this is a connection with Warren, or resident nerdy psycho, which isn't pleasant.

Warren himself might prove to be a difficult problem for me. From what I recall the dude has no issue killing people and a knack for surviving scrapes. His friends, Andrew and Jonathan, should be much more pliable. If I have everything right Jonathan is the budding warlock and Andrew is a budget Warren.

I'll need to figure out what motivates them and try my hand at guiding them. Maybe paint the whole Hellmouth thing as an epic quest. That might appeal to them. I'm not ruling out the judicious application of whores though.

Willow is definitely going to be an issue; I have no idea how to keep the girl from magic, seeing as she's the type of person who'd cross _any _line for her loved ones. No number of dire threats would help.

**XxXXxX**

**May 20th, 1997**

As I walked through the hallways of Sunnydale High I was accosted by Marcie. I hadn't seen the girl for a while so I stopped and had a little chat with her. I wish I could remember what was up with her, I'm certain _something _bad is going to happen to her. I'm just... unclear on the when and where.

She did have an interesting piece of gossip. Earlier in the day a girl, Amber, got in a little accident which somehow set her hands on fire. As the realization that the cheerleading-witch was getting started hit me I let the girl ramble on for a bit.

Once I finally extracted myself from the girl I went off to the library. When I got there I noted that the entire 'Scooby gang' was present. I was kinda hoping that I can just point Giles in the right direction but... this could work.

"Hello Slayerettes."

Dead silence.

I let the silence hang while I continued smiling.

Surely they'll speak up now?

Mr. Giles tiredly spoke up, "I take it you've deduced the circumstances of Sunnydale, Mr. Blackwater."

Buffy's outraged was palpable when she exclaimed, "Giles!"

I decided to jump in before things got out of hand.

"Its alright Buffy. I know about the creepy crawlies in Sunnydale, which is why I'm here."

Once I dropped the 'Amy is actually Amy's mom and super fucking dangerous' bomb Mr. Giles demanded to know how I figured it out.

"Well, sir. You could say I heard it from a little bird. If by little bird you mean head-splitting visions."

Of course this set off another round of twenty questions with the 'Scoobies'. From my perspective it was terribly amusing. Mr. Giles stopped prying when I told him the visions came rarely and that they don't always depict the future. His 'acquaintance' with his 'friend' _Jack _may have come up.

Willow finally piped up with, "So what do we do now?"

All eyes were on me again.

"Don't look at me, I'll certainly come help but the lady's a much more accomplished Witch then I am, maybe Mr. Giles has a solution."

After a few minutes spent scouring his books Giles indeed came up with the solution. We were going to steal her grimoire. Willow snatched us Amy's address and Buffy, Giles and I drove off in my car.

When we got there I had Buffy knock on the door, waited for her to step back and steadied myself.

The door inched open and I took the lead.

"Hello, we're selling chocolate for charity! Would you be interested in some free samples?"

If I've learned anything from watching the show it's that people go nuts for free shit.

Amy-in-mom looked to be considering it and opened up the door. After which I promptly knocked her out with a well aimed punch to the side of her head.

"Nick!"

"Sorry, I guess I didn't mention her psychic connection with her mom, whoops."

Mr. Giles gave me an odd look but seemed willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. When we got in Amy's house we split up and soon found the book. As we were leaving I flagged both Giles and Buffy back.

"Give me a second, I hit her pretty hard and it'll bruise like hell, so I'm going to heal her."

I knelt next to the middle aged Amy-in-mom, twisted my bracelet, structured the spell in my mind into _Safe Way _and felt the pain of the punch gradually disperse over my body. It didn't hurt all that badly but it was only the second time I did the spell. The backlash still hurt. I checked the lady and once I was satisfied she would be fine I threw my carkeys to Giles.

"I'm gonna need you to drive Mr. Giles."

I didn't fail to note the significant _look _shared by Buffy and Giles.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 010: May 20th, 1997-B*

I jumped into the back of my car and started fishing around in my backpack. I quickly found my camera, set the witch's grimoire on the first page, and started snapping pictures. I pointedly ignored Buffy's quizzical expression and just focused on salvaging as many pages as I could.

Mr. Giles kept glancing towards me and finally spoke up, "Mr. Blackwater, are you certain you wish to root around in a malevolent Witch's spell-book?"

I looked up and flashed a smile at the man.

"I doubt _all_ the spells in here are evil, Mr. Giles. I'll be careful, I promise!"

Clearly that didn't reassure the man but well... he wasn't _my _Watcher. I just needed him to be relatively well disposed to me. No need to let him shackle my magical growth.

The rest of the trip passed in an awkward silence, only punctuated by the flash and click of my camera, and soon we arrived back at Sunnydale High. I handed the grimoire over to Giles and tried to find an inconspicuous way to make Buffy give up her driving-class slot to me.

"Buffy, I need your driving-class slot."

I could have put that better.

"What! Why?"

"Well. I think we might have been a little late and Mom-in-Amy might have gotten the next person on her list."

"What does that have to do with my class, Nick?"

"You're sharing the car with Cordelia, who is the next victim, and she'll be blinded by the spell."

Mr. Giles chose this moment to speak up, "And you think you can put a stop to it?"

"Not really, Mr. Giles. But does Buffy really want to be one babysitting her until her sight comes back?"

**XxXXxX**

**May 20th, 1997**

With the whole ordeal behind me I finally got time to focus on furthering my powerbase. I decided today was the day I was going to make contact with Jonathan and Andrew. Warren however is something else.

The dude is someone I certainly won't want around long term. That however doesn't mean I'm going to waste his potential. A worry for later though, because right then I found Jonathan sitting by himself on the quad.

"Hi! You're Jonathan right?"

"Uhhh. Yes?"

Amused I asked the kid, "Are you asking me?"

"No?"

Less amused I settle for just staring at him.

"Yes, I mean. Yes I'm Jonathan."

"Good! Come with me, Johnny."

Together we walked off, my mind on the next target, and Jonathan trying to come grips with his confusion. I knew that Andrew mostly hung around in computer lab. When we arrived there he was right where I expected.

"Hey Andrew!"

"Yes?"

"I need you to come with me with me, Andrew."

"Huh? What for?"

Argh. I guess he's marginally more confident than Jonathan.

"Well Drew." I reached over and pulled the computer plug from the socket. "I have an opportunity for you, mate. One I'm sure you won't be passing up."

The sexually repressed teen looked towards Johnny for help but the boy just shrugged. Seemingly out of option he got up and followed me out.

I briefly considered commandeering an empty classroom but when we walked past a nearly empty lounge I saw a wonderful opening. On the comfortable couch in the corner were Tucker Wells, Andrew's older brother, with his little pack of bullies.

I strided over towards them, subtle checked if Johhny and Drew were paying attention, and stood over Tucker. The kid turned in chair towards me, I grabbed him by the shoulders, and I pulled him upright.

"You're in my chair, Tucker. Get the fuck out."

He tried to pip up with, "Get your ha-."

I interrupted him rather efficiently by pulling him towards me, rolling him over my knee, and threw him on the ground. I slowly turned around to his perplexed buddies and tried to intimidate them into staying put. I was pleasantly surprised to see them stay firmly in their places.

I turned back to Tucker just as he got himself off the ground. An unarticulated grunt followed by him trying to take a swing at me. Fortunately he telegraphed the attack enormously and I sat back as the fist was headed towards my face.

A jerk and twist later led to Tucker screaming in pain as he clutched his right hand. He looked at wide-eyed at me at which point I took a deliberate step towards him.

The boy backed off, stumbled but kept his footing eventually, and called out to his friends to leave. I kept my gaze on all of them as they rushed out of the lounge.

Drew exclaimed, "That. Was. Awesome."

Jonathan simply stared at me with a rather odd look. I gestured both boys to take a seat.

"As I said earlier lads, I have an interesting opportunity for you both."

**XxXXxX**

**May 21st, 1997**

My scream died down in a gurgle. "Ahhh... grhlub!"

My _everything _was on _fire_.

I frantically spam _Bank Safe _but it doesn't heal enough to counteract the burning. I'm only vaguely aware of my surroundings and stumble around the room. I need to find a knife or anything with a fucking edge, before I burn up from the inside.

I launch myself forward, hoping to catch _something _familiar and was rewarded with a countertop. I feel around for a blade but couldn't find anything.

_Shit!_

Then I felt something, a coffee mug, and I grabbed the cup with both hands and smashed it on the counter. A new epicenter of pain formed centered on my hands. I use the multitude of cuts to spam dozens of _Bank Safe _in a row.

Still not enough.

Shaking I grasp for one of the larger pieces of the mug with one hand and stab it hard into my leg. Instead of a shallow cut I slowly drag the piece as far as I can. My left hand was occupied ripping Mom's ring from the necklace and jamming it in the wound I was creating on my leg.

Instead of countless little instances of _Bank Safe _I try to maintain the structure of the spell. An on the fly adaptation of the spell... if I wasn't so fucking desperate...

I hold the structure firmly, continue cutting even as the wound heals, and drag the spell out. For the length of a heartbeat I thought I failed. A subjective eternity later and the second heartbeat exuded a cool freshness.

It took another minute for the rest of my body to cool down.

Two minutes for all the cuts on my body to close up.

"Sloppy, boy, now for round two."

Three minutes before I murdered Uncle Bob.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	2. Chapter 2

*Chapter 011: May 24th, 1997*

I sat across from my instructor in the incense filled basement of his magic shop. In the past two hours I had weathered the slow but steady siege of the magical incense on my mind.

The smoke originated from a curious combo of sage, a handful of other herbs and my blood. Uncle Bob's firm conviction that a Warlock who faces the worst during training won't die on the battlefield ensured the inclusion of the latter. Instead of a general assault on my mind I faced metaphysically coordinated tactical strikes aimed right at where my control frayed the most.

It wasn't pleasant but I soon firmed up my defenses and things got gradually easier.

This new tendency of my instructor to go big or go home was unfortunately entirely my fault. Last week I mentioned to the man that I was interested in 'African Animal possession spirits' and the physical powers they offered. Uncle Bob was decidedly incurious about the source of my knowledge but seemingly came to life the moment I posited the question.

'How can I wield the strength, speed and senses without being overwhelmed by the spirit?'

Uncle Bob's eyes glittered and he tore right in to the heart of the matter. Our approach would be threefold. Whenever a possession occurs it happens simultaneously across three separate fields. In increasing order of difficulty they were: the body, the mind and the spirit.

Defending the body is relatively easy to learn. All it required was my instructor lobbing hardball spells at me. I faced his blood boiling curses, several flesh easting one and a rather off-putting gut-expulsion spell.

After every little ordeal your magic starts to recognize the make-up of your body. Eventually it steps in subconsciously to keep watch over how your body is _supposed _to be. When I raised the concern of the increased difficulty I'd face in the future in the magical area of self-modification I was told to suck it up.

Apparently he was going to teach to me how to set up magical surveillance centers and that would require the added defenses I was building. Leaving your blood and magic unattended in hostile areas, granted... for good reasons, means you have to be able to defend yourself from an enemy with extremely easy access to your blood.

The second hardest area to defend is the mind. In the cosmic hierarchy of the Buffy-verse humans come in on the lowest rungs of mental power. That makes it hardly surprising how many creepy crawlies feed on human minds.

There are a handful of magical ways to arrange to defend you but the easiest is one which every magic user has access to. In the initial moment when you gather the structures of a spell you don't let go. That window of mental clarity can be stretched, almost indefinitely, but it's incredibly slippery. The only way to improve it is continual mental assault and the building of _psychic scars _on which you can maintain some grip.

Last we come to the spirit. Song after song has been written about the Human Spirit. Capital H and capital S. All of them are utter nonsense.

We have no spirit to speak of. In fact... the weakest of creepy crawlies could and routinely would piggyback on a human. This more than anything that happened so far reminded me of the fact that I now inhabited a universe where I'd been reduced to _prey. _

As I waited for my instructor to emerge from his silent meditating I did what I always do when I have time to kill. I mentally ran through my steadily expanding arsenal of spells. I now had access to every spell Uncle Bob threw at me yesterday, my two distinct healing spells, a handful of miscellaneous all-purpose spells and last but not least telekinesis.

I was finally magically saturated enough to impose my will on small objects. Brief dreams of stakes flying through the air died a quick death when I realized I was terrible at it. My control was upsettingly wonky and there was little to no acceleration. Maybe I'll put Amy on that later.

My instructor finally spoke up, "That was it boy. There is no way to defend your soul, your spirit. It can be corrupted by pretty much anything you'd care to name."

Not what I wanted to hear.

"So what do I do then?"

"You pray, boy. Pray that two out of three is enough to keep your sanity. Or else."

**XxXXxX**

**May 25th, 1997**

My history class seemed to just drag on forever. I was counting the minutes until the damned moron would shut up and let us leave his dreary presence. How the hell does he make Caesars wars sound so boring?

When class finally let out I ran out the class to my car. There I waited there for Johnny and Drew to show up. I had plans for today and I needed the two to play lookout for me.

With nothing more pressing to do I ran through my spells again until I noticed Giles walking by and flagged the man down. He looked tired and while I was pretty sure I didn't miss an attack on Sunnydale High I couldn't rule it out. My magical studies kept me rather out of the loop.

"Hello Mr. Giles, how are you?"

"Quite fine, Mr. Blackwater. How do you find yourself?"

I realized that I'd been spending too much time with teenagers when my first instinct was to reply 'Quite fine' in an over the top British accent.

"As well as can be, sir. I do have a question though."

"Oh? Well then, I suppose I might be of some assistance."

"Do you have an hour or so free now? I have a bead on an exceptionally powerful item here in Sunnydale and I'd like to remove it from play."

I could tell that both worried and incredibly intrigued the man. His response didn't disappoint either way.

"Oh dear, I see."

Do you?

"We'll be requiring the 'Living Flame' to destroy it Mr. Giles. If you could prepare it I'll swing by soon and drop it off at the library."

His facial expression quickly ran through confusion, stark realization and shock.

"Oh goodness. Yes, well... yes. I'll have it ready. How did find out about the Glo-,"

I quickly stepped forward, reached out, and put my hand firm on Giles' mouth.

"Let's not unnecessarily name it out loud, savvy?"

At that moment Drew and Johnny finally showed up. The librarian simply nodded and strode off to his domain.

The two teenagers spoke in eerie synchronization, "Hey Nick."

"Boys! Hop in, we're going treasure hunting."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 012: May 25th, 1997*

We arrived at the Von Hauptman crypt just as the clock struck five o'clock. We had a little less than four hours of daylight to hit the crypt, run back to my car and race off to the Du Lac tomb to acquire the dead man's cross. The three of us got out of the car, walked over to the boot and gathered our supplies. I picked up a mallet sized sledgehammer; Drew got his pair of oversized scissors and Johnny was put on lookout duty with his paintball gun filled with holy water pellets. It was day but Angel proved that a sufficiently driven vampire can and will move around during the burning daylight hours. Andrew busied himself cutting through the multiple locks on the crypt and I got ready for lobbing one of my newer all purpose spells. When the chain finally gave way Drew reached out and pushed the crypt's entrance open.

I jerked my bracelet twice, twisted my minds structure into Flash Bang, and lobbed the little bright light that appeared in the palm of my hand in the tomb. A heartbeat later and the inside of the crypt was briefly bathed in bright light coupled with enough concussive force to mildly shake the structure. I gestured for Andrew to follow me in, raised my sledgehammer and walked into the darkness. Fortunately there were no terrifying surprises waiting for us inside. Unfortunately my recollection of the show was vague enough that I didn't know where exactly the glove could be found.

Drew must have noticed me looking around and spoke up, "Let's search all the easily accessible places first, Nick."

Andrew was indeed coming along nicely. The next half hour was spent painstakingly going through the crypt but eventually yielded us zilch.

"Fuck it then, Drew. Time to start breaking shit, go get the crowbar mate."

While the kid walked back out I got started on the little compartments lining the walls. After a handful of swings only yielded me a single broken compartment I was reconsidering my clever idea of keeping the Slayer out of this. Trouble followed that girl around. It might start stalking me soon as well but as of yet I am untroubled. Andrew ran back in and tried to hand me the crowbar.

"Uh uh Drew. Wedge it in the corner over there and I'll smack it with the hammer."

This technique proved to be much easier on my back and soon we got through a wall. And another. Finally we reached the eighth compartment and got lucky. There it was... the epic Glove of M... something. Anyways... it makes you into a budget Zeus. And I was going to destroy it...

I noticed Drew reaching for the Glove and out of sheer panic I gathered up my feeble telekinesis and slapped him on the cheeks. "Don't fucking touch it, Drew! We talked about this buddy."

"Oh! Oh! Sorry! I-."

"It's ok. Hand me your backpack please."

I took the backpack from Drew, used the crowbar to shimmy the glove into the bag, and directed Andrew to get out of the crypt. "Finally, I've been out here for an hour and a half guys!"

"Chill out, Johnny. We got what we came for. The next one will be much quicker."

We quickly drove off to one of the twelve other cemeteries. God damn, that's entirely too many cemeteries for a city of 30k citizens. When we got to the Du Lac tomb we repeated our earlier process, except this time Johnny didn't want to sit out the 'fun'. I left Drew with the paintball gun and proceeded to let Johnny break open the lock. I lobbed another Flash Bang in the room and charged in. Empty again. Meh, better safe than sorry. This time I knew exactly where the Du Lac cross was held. I walked up the third compartment on the far wall of the crypt and started wailing on it with the sledgehammer. When the hole I made was big enough to put my arm through I reached in and felt around for a smallish box. I got the little box out and threw it on the ground. The ancient container broke in an explosion of little woodchips but left behind a slightly smudged golden cross.

"Yup, that would be it."

"Can we go now, Nick? I don't like it here."

"Yea, buddy. Let's bounce."

A short while later I drove up to Sunnydale High with a little less an hour to spare before sunset. I wasn't overly worried, with my new spells I have a fighting chance against vamps and when I drop off the two boys I'll have access to my paintball gun again.

"Andrew, could you check if Ms. Calender is still around and ask her about the you-know-what. Johnny and I can witness the Glove being destroyed." I expected the boy to halfheartedly try to get out of it but he surprised me by just walking off. Huh. Maybe I'm doing something right. While we were walking towards the library Johnny spoke up.

"You know, Nick, you never told us what the cross was for."

"Ah. It's basically a glorified decoder ring for an ancient book."

He was quiet for a heartbeat and then continued. "Will it decode something really important?"

"Uhuh, it holds the key to several big questions about vampires."

"Do we absolutely have to tell Mr. Giles... ?" I came to a halt and swung towards Jonathan. This was the first sign the boy showed that hinted at a deviously clever mind. It was also an opportunity for me to expand my new minions usefulness.

"Mr. Giles can read Latin and we cannot risk any vamps coming across the secrets. Are you implying you're willing to spend time learning the language?" The teenager looked thoughtfully and inquired, "Would it help with magic later?" I just gave him a toothy grin. XxXXxX

May 25th, 1997

I sat on a couch I had dragged from the living room to my backyard. The time was almost twelve midnight and the moon was just shy of the position I needed it to be in. I looked around and checked the ritual's blood circle for the umpteenth time. I could not afford a single smudge out of place. The consequences... This was the first time I took an honest to god risk. My instructor kept insisting there was no way to supplement my spiritual defense but I refused to believe it. Armed with Amy's family grimoire I cobbled together two pieces of highly distinct magic. Hopefully my alterations would be sufficiently stable to not leave my mind mush.

11:59 Almost time.

I double-checked the box in the middle of the circle, verified that all the bunny rabbits were in place and re-check the tether binding my brand new puppy to me. I traced the two identical earrings I had claimed earlier and reviewed the patterns on the dagger I borrowed from Uncle Bob. Like always the man just grunted and didn't ask questions. He said he'd find out if I walked in to his shop tomorrow... Today slash tomorrow would be the exact time where I both Name my puppyas well as bind it to me as my familiar. Both rituals lead to an animal being bound to you but they originated from different disciplines of magic. I was fervently hoping my Blood magic could tie the two together.

The magic in the air was building up. Breathing became just a little bit harder.

12.00

I stood up on the couch, careful to not touch the ground, kept my puppy firmly in my left hand and used my right to stab the seven bunnies seven times each. When I was done with that I nicked my puppy lightly on his ear, nicked myself lightly on my ear and placed an earring in each our respective ears.

12.12

I caught my breath and spoke the Punic incantation. "ʕazrubaʕl zut syt Alf ʕazrubaʕl syt zut ʕazrubaʕl" I found my puppy's name. I bound my puppy to me. I found myself bound to my puppy. I knocked myself the fuck unconscious.

XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX

*Chapter 013: May 26th, 1997-A*

I woke up to Constantine licking my face and was immediately assaulted by _everything_. The world was brighter, louder and much smellier then I remembered.

The sun wasn't up yet but I guessed sunrise wasn't that far off.

I worked through the overwhelming dizziness caused by my expanded senses and scrambled to my feet. Constantine gives me an oddly angry look, tries to run around, and promptly reached the end of the tether connecting us. The upset pup then picked the rope up, starting chewing on it, let it drop back on the grass and gave me another one of his looks.

Holy shit.

Oh, wow. This is extremely promising.

I freed Constantine from the rope chaining him and he promptly ran up to me and jumped. I caught the little bugger and decided I needed to do some testing.

Like where the heat-sense came from.

**XxXXxX**

**May 26th, 1997**

In the past few day's I'd been picking up Andrew and Jonathan in the morning. I did so partly because I was starting to feel somewhat protective of them but mostly to keep the isolated from Warren. I wanted to be able to deal with Warren, one on one. He certainly wasn't getting the same deal I offered the two boys. I always started with Drew considering his house was just a block or three away but today I had another reason. The boy promised me noise cancelling earplugs.

I arrived at Andrews house just as he was exiting the front door. He ran up to me, jumped into the front seat next to me and handed me the earplugs.

"Good morning!"

The sound of his voice exploded through my whole system. I held up a finger; gesturing for Andrew to give me a moment. Once both earplugs were firmly implanted, I spoke up.

"Morning, buddy! When's your first lesson with Calender, Drew?"

"Uh, this weekend. She's going to attune me to the Spirit of the Machine."

Doesn't that just sound pleasantly ominous?

"Alright. You can still back out if you don't want to do this, buddy. Magic, in whatever shape, will end up changing you. A lot."

The boy was quiet until we drove up to Jonathan's house to pick him up for school. As we saw Johnny run out the door and towards us, Drew turned to me.

"I don't care."

Fair enough, although I could have sworn hearing him mutter, 'It's not like being me has worked out so well for me.'

"Hey, Johnny. What's up?"

"Not my mother, that's for sure!"

Huh. I thought only Andrew has shitty parents. What's the deal here?

I spoke up once we sped off unto the main road, "What's going on, mate?"

Johnny replied with a somewhat caustic, "She was supposed to get me my asthma prescription but she 'forgot'."

One of my minions has a debilitating disease. I felt I should have known about this somehow. I slowed down and found a reasonably secluded parking spot.

"Give me your hand, Johnny."

The boy looked a tad confused but had gotten used to my weird requests enough to automatically comply. I grabbed the boys hand, fished around in my glove compartment for the pair of scissors and used them to trace a shallow cut on his hand.

"Don't flinch, buddy. This is going to hurt a bit."

Absorbing diseases wasn't the same as absorbing straight up bodily harm. I could direct a broken bone, brutalized flesh and expelled entrails straight into my lodestone with _Bank Safe. _

Diseases however have to taken into me and only afterwards shunted off to a separate anchor. I was relatively certain I could survive a day holding the asthma and set up a new lodestone later that night.

Once I finished the two miniatures sun's with their accompanying beams on his hand I jerked my bracelet and started the process. If I hadn't been hit with some many depraved curses the sheer agony would have knocked me out. Unlike that ordeal though this one was over in a split second, when the transfer was complete I was left shaking and sweating.

I managed to croak out, "N-no more, Ash... ash... "

"You! You just healed me?"

I just settled for nodding at the boy.

"I thought you said it would hurt?"

My only response was a glare.

"Oh. You meant you. Sorry! No, I mean, thank you! Uhh... no?... sorry?"

**XxXXxX**

**May 26th, 1997**

One thing I couldn't fix quickly was my extremely sensitive new nasal senses. Thousands of smells permeated the air despite my only taking the shallowest of breaths. The worrying thing was that I should have seen this coming.

I blindly blundered ahead; thinking that better senses would translate to '_more of the same'_.

It's not.

I can smell the obvious things like; what people ate for breakfast, where they've been before if it smelled familiar, and who they've been around. People's distinct smells were easy to place. Food was a distant second but the worst were the entirely _new _smells I was experiencing.

I was intensely aware of Andrew's perpetual horniness. The boy just _exuded _it in waves. Unfortunately he wasn't alone, considering the surroundings. I needed to get a grip, soon.

We walked across the quad when we met Buffy's little group of Slayerettes.

"Morning, Buffy and crew."

The blond Slayer smiled and replied in kind, "Morning, Nick and gang."

I was distracted from Willow speaking up by an incredibly odd new smell. It wasn't that I couldn't place it... it was simply entirely unknown to me. I turned around as I noticed the smell growing stronger and that's when I saw her.

The show didn't do her justice, the lady who introduced herself as the new science teacher was incredibly... appetizing. Even despite the odd fucking smell.

I was aware of what she was, some sort of giant bug, but I had nothing else to go on. I didn't quite recall what Buffy did to kill it but the obvious standby of 'Cut the head of' rang through my mind. Circumstances forced me to keep my revelation to myself but I'd act the moment she was out of hearing range. I certainly wasn't go to leave Drew and Johnny alone with it to go talk with Buffy.

Xander's upsetting attempt at flirting with the killer bug seemed to drag on forever and when some jock walked up to extend her stay I nearly snapped from pent up anxiety.

When the killer bug with the delectable body finally swayed out of our view I turned towards Buffy.

"Buffy. Follow her, she's going to try and kill Mr. Gregory. Tell Xander and Willow to go get Giles and ask him how to kill Giant Praying Mantises that feed on virgins."

Her annoying tendency to waste time asking questions was going strong until I reminded her she was risking the life of her favorite teacher by playing twenty questions. That was enough to set their entire group scurrying off.

Andrew piped up with, "Shouldn't we... you know. Help?"

"I'm not exactly battle ready now, mate. Besides I need you two to do something for me while Mr. Giles is distracted."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 014: May 26th, 1997-B*

You let one boy break his hand on your face and you're suddenly in all kinds of trouble.

Mr. Flutie put his foot down and exclaimed, "I don't care if you say you didn't do anything, Mr. Blackwater. You may not be suspended like he is but you'll still sit through detention."

The 'he' Principal Flutie referred to was Larry. The closeted homophobe took it upon him to take over Tucker's bullying campaign on Andrew. Not exactly something I was going to allow.

I needed my minions as unmolested as possible.

If I only had to deal with a marginally tedious hour or two in detention I wouldn't have tried to smooth talk my way out of. Unfortunately for me I'd be sharing my punishment with Buffy.

"So Buffy... apparently the school frowns on slaying in its hallways?"

The girl huffed and replied, "You'd think I'd get some extra credit for saving the science teacher but nooooo... "

I spent the next few minutes trying to stoke Buffy's hate-on for the schools administration. Every minute she spent raging was a minute she wasn't interrogating me, Slayer style.

Eventually the girl snapped out of it and started homing in on me.

"Giles told me about the Glove you found."

Giles has a big fucking mouth.

"Uhuh."

"How did you find it?"

"With great effort."

Buffy was clearly becoming more and more irritable. I loved it.

"Stop beating around the bush and tell me!"

Right.

I definitely did not appreciate that tone, best to rip the Band-Aid off the girl with extreme prejudice.

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why on earth would _I _tell _you_?"

That at least quieted her for... a second or two.

"_I'm_ _The Slayer!"_

Yup. Mr. Flutie is an evil fucking genius.

I sighed and replied, "I'm sure you believe you're making a point, Buffy."

**XxXXxX**

**May 27th, 1997**

It had been a full day since the ritual tying to my little Constantine and I was finally getting used to the overwhelming senses. The only downside was the fact I couldn't live like a slob anymore.

My house positively _reeked. _

Andrew and Jonathan both responded to my call to arms and promptly showed up at my door with an arrangement of cleaning supplies. The three of us spent the next handful of hours going over every inch of my house. Eventually we got through the massive undertaking and went out to my backyard to enjoy the sunny afternoon.

I fired up my barbeque and started grilling up some burgers. After a little while I noticed I was actually enjoying myself. The references Andrew made to not-so-pop culture were dated by my standards but hilarious if you gave the boy a pass on the creepier aspects.

"Hey Drew. When's your appointment with Calender again?"

Andrew checked his watch, his eyes comically widened, and he jumped up.

"In ten minutes! Shit, I'm going to be late, on my first day!"

"Nah, take my car. The keys are on the wall near the entrance."

"You're letting me borrow your car? My brother doesn't even do that!"

I slowly raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Is there something I should be worried about?"

"NO! No, I mean... I won't break your car! Thank you!"

**XxXXxX**

**May 27th, 1997**

After Andrew left I turned towards Jonathan.

"I think we have a problem, mate."

"What is it?"

"I read through the pictures you snapped yesterday and tried my hand at a rough draft."

"I thought you didn't speak Latin?"

Only what I vaguely recall from high school but I couldn't exactly answer that.

"I'm only a little familiar with the language, Johnny, but I do know enough to grasp that it isn't classical Latin."

I went on to explain the superficial differences between Latin and Ecclesiastical Latin. The boy was oddly upset when I told him he shouldn't waste his time on Church-speak.

"So what do we do now, Nick? Do we just give it back?"

"I think we should send it to the Watchers."

When I noticed his quizzical look and realized my mistake.

"Ah. The Watchers are an ancient group who theoretically stand between Humanity and everything else."

"You don't like them very much?"

I have to admit. Jonathan is a lot more observant then I gave him credit for.

"Not really. I don't dislike them either. It's pretty hard to hate a faceless bureaucracy."

"Why are we sending it to them then?"

Because I'm fairly sure Giles would translate it and then promptly lose it.

"Regardless of how I feel about them, they are on the books as a force for good. I'd like to stay on their good side."

"For as long as it doesn't cost us too much, right?"

Good boy.

"Exactly. Besides, I plan on including a letter asking for compensation. I'd leave the amount they'd be willing to shelf over to them but well... the implication would be there."

"That you'd never send them anything again if they stiff you?"

How exactly did Warren ever get Jonathan under his thumb?

"Yup yup."

**XxXXxX**

**May 29th, 1997**

After an entirely unreasonable amount of time spent searching I found Amy. She sat next to Cordelia but I think she's not exactly close with her. They just shared the whole cheer-leading thing...

Why I'm thinking about this I don't know. Maybe being in high school affected me more then I knew.

"Good morning, Harmony!"

"Hey! Morning, Nick."

"I wish I could talk but I need to borrow Amy for a little while."

Which was of course when Cordelia spoke up.

"Really Nick? Are you going to break her hand too?"

What was oddly endearing when I first showed up here quickly became extremely annoying.

I rolled my eyes and replied, "Why am I not surprised find that Queen C stands up for the utterly helpless two hundred and twenty pound linebacker?"

Harmony exploded in giggles, bless the girl, which lead me on short tangent. Oddly enough the only person in school I'd call my friend was Harmony. Somehow things just clicked between us.

Harmony was just self absorbed enough to not ask too many questions and for the people she regards as her _in-group _she was exceedingly generous and sweet.

I looked over to Amy and said, "It's about your Mom. Kind of important." After I which I promptly walked off.

The girl was quiet all the way until we reached the abandoned classroom. I reached into my backpack and pulled out a trophy.

"That's the trophy my Mom won... "

"Uhuh. It's also your Mom."

I live for moments like this. Watching her facial expression cycle between confused, shock and horror was extremely amusing.

"I..I... "

"Yea. I recommend you put this somewhere no-one will ever find. No offense, dear... but your Mom was super scary."

"I... "

"Ok then, buhbye!"

Step one in Project Convert the Witch was complete.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 015: May 30th, 1997*

"All right lads, time to check over our options."

Andrew, Jonathan and I sat on our comfortable couch in the lounge of Sunnydale High and we were officially plotting.

Over chocolate milk and cookies.

"There are a couple of things I'd like for you two to look into."

Jonathan replied, "Shoot."

"We need surveillance gear. Is there any way the two of can... I don't know. Set up a system throughout Sunnydale?"

Andrew piped in, "Like camera's everywhere? That depends I guess... I mean we could totally have camera's everywhere but we'd have periodically collect their recordings."

Disappointing. Maybe I'm being colored too much by my 2014 standards but damn...

"Let's table that as a last resort. I'm guessing flying drones is too much to ask as well?"

Jonathan just started laughing.

"Haha, Nick. You should leave this kind of stuff to us. The technology you're talking about must be decades away!"

Oh. You poor fool. You clearly were born too early.

"All right. What about the incendiary shotguns we spoke about?"

"Oh yes! Jonathan and I already fixed those up. We managed to set it up so you can fiddle with the range of the Dragon's Breath shells. Awesome name, by the way!"

I guess Jonathan noticed Drew was about to go off on a tangent and spoke up.

"You can choose between six, twenty and sixty feet. We thought you wouldn't want the old settings because... you know... let's not set the city on fire."

Good, this seems to be coming together well.

"Did either of you figure out how to make loading our paintball pellets with holy water any less time consuming?"

"I still have some ideas but we definitely need more money. I just don't have the tools to set up an injection-."

I interrupted Drew and asked, "But you _can _do it? I mean money isn't that big a concern, just write out an itemized bill and I'll get it to you."

"Oh. Then yes, soon we'll have a fix for that."

Was there anything I was forgetting?

"Anything I'm missing, guys?"

"Uhuh. No camera mounted to a helmet. At least not one that transmits... well... "

"Yes?"

"I think I have an idea but I need to check some stuff out with Jonathan."

Fair enough. Andrew wasn't in the same league as Warren. Maybe I should try my hand at getting him involved. On the fringes... under constant control... far away from Drew and Johnny.

Fuck.

It's just not worth it.

"Good! Last thing, how did the spell on our fake ID card work, Johnny?"

Jonathan smiled the biggest and toothiest grin I had ever seen from him.

**XxXXxX**

**June 1st, 1997**

"Guys! I finished connecting our contraption!"

I had put Andrew on an idea I had.

Sooner or later we'd all step in the shitter and have some creepy crawly come after us. I'd already considering getting the two boys some martial arts classes but the payoff simply wouldn't be there.

Not when we were facing supernaturally tough enemies.

To that end I decided they should focus on their ranged abilities. I could reasonably count on being able to 'tank' vampires, or at least draw enough attention, for my two minions to pick them off while I kept them busy.

"Excellent! Let's bring out the crossbows."

The three of us went to my backyard where wires hung crisscross all over the area. From the wires hung targets, about the size of a human head, which were connected to another set of ropes and pulleys that controlled the direction and speed off all the targets.

"Ok. I can start manipulating the pulleys whenever you're ready!"

Shooting with repeating crossbows is rather straightforward. Point, shoot and redraw, shoot again. Repeat until you run out of bolts and you have to reload the device.

"Why don't you give it a shot, Johnny?"

I signaled Drew to get in position and we both hunkered down behind our plexi-glass screen. Andrew started pulling and Johnny went through the make-shift obstacle course. When the boy got his five shots off I was pleased to note he hit three out of five. From a distance of about 50 feet that was wonderful.

"Go again. That was excellent, buddy."

On his second try he managed to repeat his performance and I got more than a little suspicious.

"Hey... have you two been practicing on your own?"

Andrew flushed, tried to stammer something but Johnny spoke up.

"We didn't want to feel so useless and you already gave them to us... so... "

Oh my god.

My minions are _proactive_.

Haha. Eat that Slayer! My people might soon actually be competent.

Whatever Drew and Johnny were expecting my reaction to be... I'm sure it wasn't my starting to cackle like a deranged lunatic.

**XxXXxX**

**2st June, 1997**

"What about Harmsy?"

Harmony looked up at me, flashed me a fake glare but soon gave up, and started laughing.

"Nope. Totes not that! Times a thousand! Unless, you want to be known as Nini?"

The two of us had spent the past five minutes going over every possible permutation of her name. The only thing we learned was that any version of her name, that wasn't Harmony, was just exceptionally silly.

"Are you deliberately trying to undermine my manhood women?"

"Maaaaybe!"

"By the way, I wanted to ask you for a favor earlier. But I _somehow_ got distracted."

"Sure."

Someone should tell Harmony you don't just accept favors before you know what they are.

"You know Harmony... someone could really take advantage of that."

"Ha. Ha. Nick, why wouldn't I help you?"

Well damn. Now she just made me feel bad.

I stuck out my tongue and replied, "Good point."

The blond just laughed again, "You're soooo childish, Nick."

"Hey! Anyways! I need you to help my two little nerdy friends pick out some cool threads."

"Shopping! And a challenge! You know me well, when are we going?"

"Erm, how about this weekend? We can go to LA and make a whole day of it."

"Oh my god. That sounds like so much fun! Can I bring friends?"

"Yea, no problem, but my car only seats five."

"No problem, I can take my Mom's car."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 016: June 2nd, 1997-A*

"No! Don't you see you're-."

I interrupted the teen, "Drew, if you keep doing that I won't get any better."

Andrew and I were playing a quiet game of chess, which I was horribly losing, while Jonathan finished the last touches of his spell casting. I had asked the boy to perform the 'Essence of Night' spell as well as 'Hymlyns Curse' and remarkably he insisted on trying it on his own.

The 'Essence of Night' spell wasn't exactly difficult... but it did take some intense focus to transfer the magic to the ground up chalk power without succumbing to the drowsing effects yourself. Falling asleep while doing magic is rather unadvisable.

Imagine setting up the structure of a spell in your mind, imagine twisting your emotions to fit your _intent _and lastly imagine all that power being utilized by your subconscious. The same subconscious that is responsible for some of our most exhilarating dreams as well as our most frightening nightmares.

It wouldn't end well.

Jonathan exclaimed excitedly, "Haha! Done!"

"Well done, mate, but don't forget the last step now."

The boy blanched and hurriedly extinguished the candles he used as a focus.

"Oh wow. Erm... that would could have gone... wrong."

"Yeah. Magic is _really _fucking dangerous. The name of the game is triple-check everything. Then check it all again."

Andrew piped up with, "I thought this type of magic didn't work on vampires?"

It actually does work on the undead, it just wouldn't be very effective, but good luck getting close enough to a vamp to blow the powder in its face. If you're going to be _that _close you might as well just try to stake them.

"Not gonna use it on a vamp, buddy. Remember the appointment I had you set up for this afternoon, Drew?"

"Oh! The zookeeper guy? What did he do?"

So far the man hasn't done anything bad, yet, which is why I wasn't going to hurt him. Much.

"It's entirely harmless, Drew. I just need him out of the way when I go to the zoo later today."

I needed to tell the boys something important but I didn't really want to scare them off. This would require a touch of diplomacy. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small vial of my blood.

"Johnny, catch!"

The teen caught it and looked at me with a mildly confused expression.

"Hmm. I need you and Drew to get this blood to the proprietor of Uncle Bob's Magic Cabinet when I leave for the zoo with little Constantine."

"No problem. Anything else?"

Shit. I really don't want to tell them this.

"Yeah... tell him I'm doing the risky ritual we discussed. If I don't check in with him by tomorrow six PM... just tell him to use the spell we talked about."

Andrew and Jonathan shared a significant _look_.

"This is serious lads. Promise me you'll do it."

Both boys tried to get me to explain but eventually acquiesced to my request. Now I can go to the zoo with some peace of mind.

"Chin up lads, why not distract yourself when you get back with some more target practice?"

**XxXXxX**

**June 2nd, 1997**

The entire ride over to the zoo had me positively giddy with anticipation and plain old vomit inducing _fear. _I was about to tangle with ancient magic. Not just any ancient magic but the kind that had a distinct consciousness of its own. Even Constantine had trouble sitting still in the little contraption I had put him in and planned on keeping him there while I did my thing.

When I finally arrived at the zoo I noticed it was quarter to six; which meant I had at least another two hours of bright sunlight left. I left my fake name at the reception and waited until the zookeeper came to get me. While I waited I covertly collected some chalk in my hand and prayed I wouldn't sweat so much it messed with the spell.

"Mr. Constantine?"

"Nah, that's my dad's name. Call me David please, sir."

The middle aged man smiled and replied, "Alrighty David. I'm Adrian Fletcher and I've been told you wished to 'pump me for information'?"

"Yes, sir. I have a big essay coming up soon and I picked the behavior of Hyenas as my subject."

He excitedly exclaimed, "Well then! You've come to the right place! Follow me."

Together we walked towards the closed Hyena habitat while the zookeeper kept regaling me random pieces of information. When we arrived at the exhibition I noticed the rituals circle was already painted and etched into the ground.

Smart, paint might chip but etching keeps rather well. Of course... mistakes while etching aren't easily fixed. Perhaps I underestimated the man?

"What specifically did you want to know, David?"

I pretended I accidentally dropped my bag on the ground and watched as the man bent over to help me out. Clearly no good deed goes unpunished as I took the opportunity to blow the powder I had in my hand in his face.

The man went out without even realizing something was wrong. I looked around for a chair to tie the man to and eventually found one in the enclosure behind the Hyenas. I use a capital there because I could swear one of them simply kept staring at me. It all felt highly unnerving but I couldn't let that bugger throw me off my game.

I dragged the chair into the middle of the circle, picked up the man - who was a lot heavier than he looked-, and finished tying the man up. When I was done with that I walked over the entrance of the exhibit and dropped 'Hymlyn's Curse'. That should keep anyone from bothering me while I was busy.

I got back to Adrian and prepared myself to cast one of my newer spells on the man. I called it _Bronze Bull _and I had only ever cast it on my instructor. When I hit the man with it for the first time he simply laughed me off. Until he noticed that the pain increase built into the spell wasn't accumulative. It was exponential.

My sessions after that one heavily featured Uncle Bob's more sadistic tendencies...

I got closer to Adrian and whispered, "Wake from the Night's slumber. Wake. Wake. Wake."

The zookeeper slowly woke up, was visibly disoriented, and eventually managed to focus on me.

"You! What... why?"

I slapped the man.

"Untie me immediately! What's wrong with you! What do you want?"

More silence.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

I slapped the man again and waited for my spell to start its process. When I felt the magic saturate the man I finally spoke up.

"Do you feel that trickle in the base of your spine?"

I slapped the man again.

I directed the magic coursing through Adrian to kick things up a notch.

"YES. OK YES. WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"Tell me about the Primal Spirit. Tell me everything."

"How-..wha-... what are you talking about?" came the man's rebuttal.

"Wrong answer. You see... magic is a wonderful tool. For instance... the spell I hit you with? I only has so many settings and you've been burning through two so far. There will come a point where I can't control it."

Another doubling of the spells impact followed. Adrian tried to not to show it but he really was fraying at the edges.

"But we're not there yet."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 017: June 2nd, 1997-B*

It took a few more minutes but eventually Adrian reached his threshold and spewed forth a veritable fountain of information. Information I did not care about in the slightest.

I already knew the details of the ritual, courtesy of my instructor, I knew the words of invocation and I knew the circumstances that would both stop and start the otherworldly infusion.

What I needed from the man was his submission. If there was an easier way to gain it I certainly hadn't come up with it. Putting the fear of me in the man should make getting him to 'relocate' a great deal easier as well.

I inched closer to the man, drew my trusted pair of scissors and drew a small star inside a smaller rectangle. After that I searched in my backpack for a syringe so I could draw some of Adrian's blood.

"W-what are y-you doing?"

"I'm taking some of your blood, Adrian. I'll cast a spell over it and then ingest it. Now. No more talking."

He certainly didn't need to know I was temporarily binding the man to me. In case of the very worst possible scenario I could simply dump _everything _into my open link with Adrian. After which I would promptly hit him with a lovely _entropy _spell I wanted to use in field.

I didn't want to be overwhelmed by the general possession as happened to the 'Pack' and Xander. I was going to invoke a specific Hyena. The bastard wouldn't stop eyeballing me. Without any conscience thought I found myself near the flimsy wall separating me from the hyper vicious animal. I used my scissors to make a small incision on my right thumb and flicked the drop of blood towards the Hyena with a touch of telekinesis.

After I had hit him I could positively _taste _the sheer malice in his growl. I've never wanted to _beat _anything like I wanted to _eviscerate_ the Hyena.

I walked around to the back of Adrian, placed the scissors right over his neck, got a little closer and drew in a deep breath in preparation for the invocation.

Just as I got started to speak the Words of Invocation Adrian unpleasantly surprised me. Somehow he had managed to wriggle free enough to backwards head-butt me right on the nose.

An honest to god _growl_ escaped my throat.

"**Bastard!"**

Immediately after Adrian had managed to hurt me the man's chair exploded in a flurry of woodchips. He rolled back onto his feet, towards me and charged me the rest of the way.

The man was _fast._

The realization that the ritual hadn't been interrupted and _that we were still in it_ hit me at the same time as his punch rocked my world.

I fell backwards, recovered enough to balance on my knees, and twisted _Fortress_ in the action. Adrian hadn't been idle and his follow up came thundering swiftly at me. Except this time I was prepared to grapple the man and keep him down. His kick to my face barely fazed me as _Fortress_ did its job.

I managed to grab on the leg with one arm and pulled it towards me. With my other hand I jerked and applied another _Fortress_. Adrian's retaliation swung by my face ineffectually and I used the opening to launch myself towards the man's chest.

Just before I find enough purchase to do so Adrian was on top of me again.

God damn, the man was tenacious.

I decided to just let the man's latest punch hit me and then try to land a solid liver-punch. Only to find Adrian anticipated my move and twisted it into a hold on my elbow.

_Fuck this!_

I had just enough wriggle room to jerk the bracelet and let a far larger and far more unstable _Flashbang_ form on my hand. The ball of light appeared on the hand that was twisted roughly behind my back and I let it explode.

My eyes were safe enough but the concussion blew out my hearing entirely. We were both separated by the concussive force and thrown into opposite walls.

I tried to get back on my feet as quick as possible but then I looked over and saw Adrian reaching out with hands towards... nothing.

Hopefully that meant at least his eyes were blown out.

I finally was in the perfect position; my enemy was far enough for me to lob my best_ entropy_ spell at him but deep down I knew that wouldn't be _right. _

Instead I pushed off from the wall, let off a _Fortress, _charged the man and unleashed the loudest growl I could.

"**DIE!"**

I was across the entire room in what felt like three steps and swung right at Adrian's slightly singed beard. The momentum and my new strength ensured my punch broke the man's jaw but somehow still didn't knock him out.

It did however force him down on the ground where I met him with a kick to the gut.

The air in the building changed immediately. What I thought were rapid bongo's in the background turned out to be my own heartbeat. My hearing had come back and with a fucking vengeance. I fell to my knees and desperately tried to catch my breath.

That was when I heard the scraping of paws on the rocky dirt. I turned around and saw the massive Hyena casually circling me. I looked over at the cages but didn't notice any Hyena's missing from it.

Either I was hallucinating or something else was in play. At that point I felt more than I saw the Hyena getting ready to make a move. Some long hidden and repressed instinct supplied the answer. I was being challenged.

The stakes were obvious.

Those same instincts warned me not to use magic but the feeling didn't inspire a sense of _rightness. _I couldn't consider the notion any longer as at that moment the Hyena flew at me with terrifying speed. Before I knew it he was on me and the next few moments went by as if in a dream.

As if it was happening to someone else.

The Hyena was _devouring_ me. I did manage to get in several punches and even a couple of bites. The two of us were rolling around in explosion of violence. The only solace I had was that Hyena had to worry about all my limbs while I could relatively safely ignore everything but its long row of teeth.

When the Hyena got its jaws around my left arm I finally had a solid enough opening and punched the creature with everything I had on its soft nose. It let go, seemed to instantly recover and went for my throat. At which point a sixty pound blond hulking lab jumped on the Hyena. It looked like a grown version of what I'd imagine Constantine to look like. It took me a heartbeat longer to _understand_.

This was happening in my mind.

My mind... where I routinely restructure _everything._

I dropped to my knees; jerked my bracelet, reached out to another piece of wood and stabbed in my leg. I twisted my pain into _Heat Death_ and aimed the thin red line that exploded from my hands at both the animals... trusting that my Constantine would know the feel and smell of my magic.

I watched as my Constantine went down, the Hyena got on top on him, and my _entropy _curse burned a hole through the Hyena's chest.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 018: June 2nd, 1997-C*

The Hyena fell over and twitched for a handful of moments until I felt more than heard his death rattle. Constantine waggled over to me and starting licking my wounds. I let the pup do so as I fell on ass from his impact.

I managed to wheeze out, "Thank you so much, buddy! I knew you'd come through for me."

Constantine was visibly upset and attempted to drag me over to the Hyena's remains. I shakily got on my feet and followed the not-so-little-anymore pup. Constantine jumped on the corpse and attempted to turn the body over.

I helped him out and once we got the Hyena on its back Constantine started pawing at its chest. A flash of _understanding _past and I scrambled to look for something to cut into the Hyena. I located my trusty scissors but as tried to get up to go collect it Constantine lightly growled at me. Another flash of _understanding_ and I knew what to do.

I fired off a _Fortress, _got on top of the corpse, and jabbed my rigidly extended hand just under where I knew its hearts to be. I cast another _Fortress _and jammed my other hand just to the side of its heart. The next few moments I pushed and pulled its ribcage away from its heart cavity, careful as to not damage it.

Once I finally managed to extract the heart another flash of _understanding _led me to an unsettling realization. Constantine wanted me to consume the heart. I briefly noted the lack of disgust welling up and even felt the briefest feeling of satisfaction as I had definitively eviscerated my foe.

The muscle wasn't appetizing but it did _not _taste bad either. I'd have to consider what this meant for my diet in the future but that could wait. When I ate through the majority of the bloody muscle I held the remains up for Constantine.

He looked at me quizzically, but when I insisted he came over and swallowed the piece whole, and walked over to push his nose into my neck.

That was when the world focused back into being.

I looked around and saw Adrian still knocked out from my kick, the enclosure was scattered with broken pieces of wood, and blood was spread all around the place. I picked up Adrian, which was considerably easier to do now, considered how utterly I had underestimate the man before, and threw his body across the room into the Hyena pit.

The sight of the pack of ravenous Hyenas descending on him didn't hold my interest for very long and I got started on cleaning the place up.

**XxXXxX**

**June 2nd, 1997**

I ran out of the Hyena enclosure at full throttle and the world passed me by in a haze. Good lord, I was _fast. _

I yelled out, "Hahaha. Hahaha. Aaahhhhhhhhhhhh." Before I realized that drawing attention to me might be stupid. I came to a halt near my car and saw that the box I had Constantine in was shaking.

When I leaned over the door and freed my little puppy he jumped out, much higher than should have been possible and landed on my shoulders.

"Hey! Hey buddy. You were absolutely wonderful!"

His little squeaky bark was a lot less intense than his growling in my dreamscape but I could still grasp concepts. The poor bugger just needed to _run_ and preferably with me.

"We'll do that in a bit alright? I need to handle some business now."

Constantine grumpily acquiesced and jumped back into his box. Together we drove off towards my instructor's place of business. I needed to let the man know that 'Operation Hijack' was to be called off. I opened the glove compartment and pulled out one of the walkie-talkies that I had Andrew set up for us.

"Ola, Bravo."

There was static for a few minutes and then Drew's choppy voice came, "Oh thank god! Are you..?"

"Me? Yup."

We just finished going over the events of the past hour as I drove up to Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet. I smelled my instructor standing behind the door and before I reached the entrance the door swung open and a shotgun was pointed in my face.

"Boy! Cast that pretty little light of yours and hold it."

I knew why he was doing this, if I had succumbed to the Primal I wouldn't be able to, but it still stung a little bit. Moving past the minor hurt I jerked and twisted my _Flash Bang_ into existence and kept it intact. Uncle Bob showed no inclination of lowering the shotgun until I started juggling the ball of light between my two hands.

He quietly muttered, "You can stop showing off now, boy."

"So... you convinced I'm firmly in charge of... well me?"

Uncle Bob finally lowered the shotgun, smirked and replied, "I already knew that, you walked right over my 'Spirit Trap'."

Every time I felt I had a grasp of how dangerous an enemy my instructor would prove to be... he did something like this. Instead of sharing the direction of my thoughts with him I asked if he wanted to know how it went.

"You're not that interesting, boy. You fought the beast; you won and made it submit. The end."

I walked into the store past the man, made a show of smelling him and turned back towards Uncle Bob.

Now it was my turn to share the smirk of the smug, "Almost, sir, except for the part where I made it submit."

The man froze, secured his grip on the shotgun, and raised a singular eyebrow.

"Explain."

I smiled my patented 1000watt smile and said, "I didn't just beat it. I _devoured_ the spirit."

That certainly got the man's attention and the next half hour was spent explaining everything I did in great detail. Once the man was satisfied he gave me back my blood.

The vial wasn't visibly lighter but it was _my _blood and I knew exactly how much of it was in there.

"Uhm. You kept some of it?"

"I did. You can let yourself out now, boy."

Bastard!

I let the slight go and decided to deal with the man's annoying tendencies later. Now I had to go meet Mr. Giles

**XxXXxX**

**June 2nd, 1997**

Constantine and I arrived at the school library around seven thirty. A brief check reminded me that sundown was at least two and a half hours away.

I hadn't known whether the 'Scooby gang' was going to be there but I wasn't surprised to find them lounging about.

"Afternoon, Slayerettes! I'm here for Mr. Giles."

Xander was for some reason or other annoyed and replied, "What? No hello? No how are you?"

Amused I walked over to the teen and hugged him tightly, "Xander! How are you old friend?"

"On second thought... being rude is perfectly fine with me!"

Willow giggled and I kept a firm grip on Xander as we spoke about our upcoming essays.

I let the boy go when I saw Buffy walking towards me with together with Mr. Giles. The blond girl was sweating lightly but Giles was very obviously exhausted.

"Nick."

"Buffy."

The girl still hasn't quite forgiven me for not sharing all my secrets with her. She didn't bother speaking up after that and settled in for a staring contest.

The wary respect of the action struck a note with me and I just laughed.

"What!"

"Nothing."

Mr. Giles finally seemed to have caught his breath and spoke up.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Blackwater. Have you come to warn us of impending danger?"

"Not so much today, sir. Instead I bring you Du Lac's last decoder cross."

As always the expression Giles' face brought a warm and fuzzy feeling to my heart.

"Oh dear, I hope your next request isn't to borrow the man's manuscripts."

"It's not, sir. In fact... all I want is for you to pass it to the Watcher's Council for me along with a letter."

"Oh? I must commend you for your judgment young man... not many would resist the temptation to-."

I didn't feel like explaining my reasons and just interrupted the man.

"Will you do that for me, sir?"

"Of course, is anything else?"

"Yes, in fact! I need a few hours of your time a week to train me."

Buffy chimed in with, "What! You're not thinking of going after vampires are you?"

I kept my tone as neutral and even as I could, "No Buffy. I'm thinking I live on the Hellmouth and have no intention of being a prisoner in my own home after nightfall."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 019: June 3rd, 1997*

"Nick! Nick! Nick!"

Andrew and Jonathan were chanting my name in unison as I pulled the weighted pulleys towards myself. I had decided to ditch school today to test out the limits of my new powers. Johnny and Drew volunteered to stick around and help me out.

As it stood now I could pull six hundred and fifty kilos with reasonable effort. It was all amazingly exciting, especially as I hadn't quite managed to reach my limits yet.

What I was greatly more infatuated with was my prodigious speed. Andrew had earlier set up a makeshift track with a handful of markers indicating the distance traversed. When they had me run across the track, over and over, they eventually settled in their number crunching.

Apparently I move at twenty meters per second, or in normal people speak, about seventy two kilometers per hour. I couldn't get that speed in a short sprint though; I had to actively build up velocity, but with a top speed like that... I was simply golden. Let's see a vamp keep up with me now.

"Alright. We've been at this for hours now, time for a break, lads."

I was mildly out of breath and my feet were utterly killing me.

When I mentioned that Jonathan just laughed and explained, "You need better running shoes, I'm fairly certain you'll blister soon. That's not even taking into account the stresses on your joints, Nick... "

"What do you mean?"

"I think you need to build this up, as well as try to avoid going full speed for a while, or at the least not go for as long as we did today."

That certainly made sense; I didn't like it, in fact I hated it, but it did make sense. I was distracted from my thoughts by Constantine nipping at me. I looked down at the little pup and sensed he wanted to run with me again.

Instead I picked him up and squeezed him to my chest.

"No. We're snuggling instead!"

The blond pup immediately started squirming, found some purchase and bit down on my arm, then proceeded to jump out my arms and right back into the house.

"You know, Nick... Constantine talking to you still creeps me out... but he's sooo adorable!"

I decided to ignore the first half of Drew's comment and replied to the latter.

"I know right! Sometimes I just want to eat the little bugger up."

We reached my house just as the takeout Johnny ordered arrived. I immediately dug into my triple portion pork rolls and topped everything off with a grilled chicken. My new dietary requirements would bankrupt me sooner than the toys I had Drew and Johnny make for me.

When I had finally sated my hunger I asked Drew about a status update on said new toys.

"I finished a few models, Nick. The main surveillance question is still unanswered but I have a working solution for the head-cam. I'll get it to you as soon as I finish it!"

The teen ran out of my living room, to the hallway and picked up a box he had stashed there, walked back the biggest smile I had seen on his face.

"Jonathan and I finished up the basic package we discussed."

Over the next half our both boys regaled with me the details of hard work. I had to make sure to smile indulgently, laugh at the appropriate places and cheer when their body language told me they needed validation.

The whole reading body language thing has been an absolutely amazing godsend. I simply couldn't believe how much information everyone gave away to the world... at all times. I could easily tell Andrew hadn't slept well the night before and that Jonathan was proudest of the altercations he made to a specific toy.

I was pleased with the wrist band stake-launcher. On the surface it looked like the ones Angel was prone to using; except that the boys somehow managed to insert a vastly more powerful spring.

The Dresden-style duster-coat was someone that just tickled me in the right spot. The coat was made out black leather and had an absolutely astounding amount of hidey-holes where I could keep my _stuff._

Like the shotgun that shot incendiary rounds, or the repeating crossbow Jonathan made collapsible, but mostly rows of stakes and two smallish holy-water filled paintball guns.

"Guys. This is fucking amazing... in fact... it makes me want to go out and kill some demons."

Oddly enough both boys jumped in to try and dissuade me. Andrew mentioned I should wait until Jonathan finished spelling the duster to be more resistant to damage while Jonathan claimed I couldn't go out without the head-cam.

"Ok, ok. I get it guys. It's just that I'm positively burning with energy and I need to fight _something_! Maybe I could look for the Slayer and ask for a sparring match?"

Drew and Johnny shared another one of their _looks _and said in unison.

"Let's revisit the vampires again?"

**XxXXxX**

**June 5th, 1997**

I had no idea how Harmony talked me into this. Ever since I arrived in the hell-plagued city I had avoided the Bronze rather successfully. However, I recently found out that when Harmony wants something she'll generally find a way to get it done.

"Alright! I'll go ok! What did you call it again?"

"It's the annual pre-fumigation party!"

"Do the bugs in our drinks come free at least?"

The blond girl slapped me and said, "Stop being so negative! You can't spend all your time with your nerdy friends... unless of course you _don't _want to spend time with me?"

I mightily resisted the urge to roll my eyes and just reiterated I'd definitely show up. We spent the rest of the free period lounging about at the quad, playing some sort of frisbee game I didn't quite understand the rules of. I excused myself when I saw Drew and Johnny come out of the school building.

"Hey dudes! Apparently I'm going to the Bronze tonight. You guys want to come with?"

Andrew told me he was spending the evening in school with Miss Calender and Johnny disappointed me when he informed me he had relatives visiting and couldn't get out of it.

"Treasonous curs! Alright, I guess I'll go to Mr. Giles then and see about the training."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 020: June 5th, 1997-A*

After being so grievously disappointed by my boys I headed to out to the library, after retrieving my toys from the trunk of my car. When I got the building the library was housed in I heard Buffy and Giles have a heated discussion.

About me!

I pretended to drink from the water fountain in the corridor as I settled in to play the eavesdropper.

"I don't think he's _evil,_ Giles! I just... don't trust him!"

"I think you might be overstating things, Buffy. Sure, he has a somewhat unorthodox demeanor but I can understand his need to keeps things... close to the vest."

"You think I was wrong to push him for answers!"

"All I'm saying, Buffy, is that the boy has averted god knows how much troub-."

Buffy interrupted the elder Watcher, "You said I should trust my gut, Giles. My gut tells me he's hiding things."

"I do somewhat agree with you, Buffy, but I'm simply not convinced his secrets are of the malicious kind."

"Then what about his magic use? You said you could sense him from dozens of yards away, what's up with that?"

"I must admit that I am somewhat perplexed by the young man's actions on that front. He clearly is a gifted Warlock, which does worry me, but he doesn't strike me as the type to make... ill-advised deals."

"How would you know that?"

"I spoke with him about the grimoire he pilfered and he convinced me of his lack of interest in the more upsetting areas of witchcraft. We must keep in mind that young Nick is our sole link with the Powers, Buffy. I suggest you keep an open mind and I will keep an extra close eye on him."

They were quiet for a little while after that and I decided that was my cue to walk the rest of the way to the library. Buffy clearly didn't trust me, which I didn't mind all that much, but showing Giles how I burned out the more unsavory aspects of the grimoire seemed to have worked out.

"Mr. Watcherman!"

"Oh hello, good afternoon, Nick"

"And the same to you, sir!"

"What can I do for you?"

I originally came over to hash out our schedules for my weapons training but I decided to improvise. Buffy tried to keep her face expressionless but I could positively taste the defensive posture her entire being screamed.

"I've come to share some gifts with the Slayer."

That piqued the man's interest. I reached deep into my duster and pulled out one of the paintball guns and threw it over to Buffy. The girl caught it and got busy looking it over... for traps I guess.

"What am I supposed to do with a paintball gun?"

"Point it at vamps and watch them sizzle."

I let the girl stew on that for a moment as I busied myself removing the wristband on my bracelet arm. I already had a minor accident when I tried to cast with it the day before and contemplated just using one of them.

Buffy spoke up, "I don't get it."

Heh. That must have cost her to admit.

Then Giles chimed in and showed why you shouldn't underestimate Watchers.

"I think the pellets might be filled with holy water, if so... this might come in quite handy. Where did you get the idea from?"

I got the idea from my minions, Giles, and they are _so _much better then Buffy's.

"Andrew made them but I'd say this little toy is a lot more Buffy's speed."

I finally removed the wrist launcher and handed over the contraption to the blond girl.

"You made a stake-holder?"

"No, Andrew made it. It's not just a stake-holder... it shoots them... really fucking hard. Or you could put it on the softer setting and it would expel the stake right into your waiting hands."

This is the part where you say thank you, Buffy.

"Why are you involving someone like Andrew in this?"

God damn it.

"Why are _you_ involving Willow?"

Buffy flushed a little and tried for a rebuttal but Giles forestalled her.

"While I'm not at all pleased with that, and we will discuss this later Nick, I think both of you should try to meet in the middle here. Discord between the forces of Good only benefits Evil."

"Wow Mr. Giles... I could actually hear you capitalize Evil. Besides I feel as though I've been entirely reasonable. Buffy simply doesn't like me... fortunately she doesn't have to."

"I'm sure she-."

I interrupted the man, "As long as she doesn't ignore my visions I couldn't care less, sir. Even if she does... I got by fine enough without a Slayer."

Or at least, that's true for all you know.

"I'm _not _going sit by and ignore people in danger, Nick, so don't even go there! I just don't think you understand the stakes and you'll get yourself or w_orse_ others killed!"

Oh for the love... I get that she has a point but this is becoming tedious.

"Buffy! I'm sure-,"

"Right. How could the little boy who not just sees but _feels _the pain the various hellspawn around here cause... possibly understand! You're not the only one who was forcibly drafted into this, Buffy."

Buffy froze, seemed to give it some thought, and settled into giving me a contemplative stare.

"I think it is best if the two of you get rid of some of this tension, children."

I looked at Buffy and said, "Truce?"

"Truce."

"Good. Now, let's spar. You're the closest thing I have to a vampire and I'd like to know how hard they hit."

"I'm not sure-."

Poor Giles was simply steamrolled but the two at-odds-personalities in the room.

"I think that's a _wonderful _idea. Let's go, Nick."

We walked over to the open space in the middle of library where Giles had set up Buffy's training material. I briefly considered trying to downplay my speed but knowing Buffy... she wasn't going to give me much choice. Besides... this really was an opportunity to see how well I'd do against a much stronger opponent. I put my duster and shoes away and followed Buffy to the green mat.

Giles gave us a signal and the action started. Buffy charged me with positive glee while I focused on keeping my feet hopping. When she closed in I exploded with a flurry of steps and found myself behind Buffy.

I smiled my most wicked smile and smugly said, "You can stop moving in slow motion now, Buffy."

The blond girl turned her velocity into a roll, got back of her feet and this time she came at me a little more cautiously. I don't know whether she found the speed odd but Giles was definitively giving me an incredulous stare.

I decided to go on the offensive and _rushed _straight at her, I tried to jump slightly to her right at the last moment, but the girl anticipated me and managed to grab my arm. I lost my balance when she pulled me in and the punch she landed on my chest blew the wind out of me.

The impact knocked me back a little but Buffy didn't let go, pulled me back, and rolled me over her shoulders. I landed in a heap on the ground behind the girl.

"You were saying?"

I pushed myself up and found myself on my feet. Oh yea, super-strength! We both started circling each other and after a heartbeat or two I exploded into action again. This time I simply jumped _over _the girl, misjudged my bearings, and promptly got stuck in the ceiling.

Well, fuck.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	3. Chapter 3

*Chapter 021: June 5th, 1997-B*

With Buffy's assistance I got myself down from the ceiling without damaging it any more than I already had. When I was on firm ground again Giles asked Buffy to leave the two of us. She tried to question him but he wasn't having any of it. After Buffy vacated the library the Watcher rounded in on me.

"Mr. Blackwater, would you kindly explain just how it is you can move like that?"

This was my moment of truth; for a given value of truth at least.

"Last full moon I performed a Punic naming ritual to claim a familiar to myself... there were some complications that took a while to get used to."

The librarians narrowed his eyes, shifted his position to something more indicative of wariness, and replied.

"I am aware of that ritual, Nick, just as I am aware of its effect. Your abilities do not fall under it."

"That would be the case, unless you use the binding ritual in conjunction with it as well as..."

I let my voice trail off as I saw Giles grow more and more upset until he eventually stalked towards me and grabbed me by the shoulders.

Giles thundered, "You... utterly foolish... CHILD! Can you even phantom the _cost _you could have ended up paying!"

"I-I... "

"No, of course you can't. What could possibly have possessed you to take such an appalling risk?"

"F-Fear, sir, would."

That was probably the truest thing to ever leave my mouth. I didn't like dwelling on it but Sunnydale filled me no less with terror now than it did the first week I was here. It just wasn't for the reason I was willing to share with the Watcher.

Giles firmly retained his grip on my shoulders but did fractionally soften his body language. I took this as a cue to continue explaining.

"Do you know how long Seers last, Mr. Giles?"

The Watcher flinched and for a fraction of a second averted his gaze from mine.

"How long before _something _comes along that wants... " I took a deep breath, looked Mr. Giles in the eyes again and continued. "That wants to silence me, subvert my free will or just plain steal my eyes? Or any of the thousands of ways Seers are exploited."

"This is _not _the way to deal with that, Nick. I underst-... no I do not understand. I won't claim I know what you must be going through young man but what you _risked... "_

The man trailed off, got a searching look on his face, and pulled me in for hug. I was completely caught by surprise and didn't recover in time to grasp what happened before Giles spoke up again.

"Tell me about the complications."

"I can't keep anything but meat down... I'm hungry all the time and I'm constantly filled with overwhelming energy."

The Watcher was silent for a moment, seemingly breathed a sigh of relief, and gestured for me sit at his desk.

"I'll go make some tea, please have a seat."

When the man left for his office I had some time to process what just happened. On the surface I knew something like this would happen when I came to Giles for training. Just below the surface I decidedly did not expect to feel so... _terrible_.

For the briefest of moments I tried picturing a world in which I could just tell Giles everything but then my benefactors made themselves known. Intense shivers came over me that shook me straight out of the chair.

The refusal tasted absolutely bitter in my mind. I'm utterly stuck.

I got back in my chair just in time for Giles to walk out with two piping hot cups of tea.

"I'm sorry I lost my composure earlier, Nick."

Damn Giles. Are you trying to kill me with kindness? I tried to speak up but the Watcher forestalled me with a gesture.

"You remind me of someone I knew when I was younger. Those experiences have left me with a particular distaste concerning certain magic's."

The librarian took a sip of his tea and continued, "When I was your age I had a group of friends, close as can be, who maneuvered through the tangled web of magics. Out of all of us only one had a _truly _compelling reason. The rest... we were simply in it for the power... for the chance to do something grand."

When the man took yet another sip from his tea he seemingly struggled getting the next part out.

"It took the death of another friend to convince me to leave that life behind." Giles looked up and pinned me with a peculiar gaze, "I won't waste mine or your time trying to dissuade you from magic entirely. However, if you are willing, I can share the benefit of my experiences with you."

We were both quiet for a while as we finished our teas.

I eventually spoke up, "I think I would like that, sir."

**XxXXxX**

**June 5th, 1997**

The Watcher sent me out to go collect Buffy so we could get started on the actual training. I followed the assorted smells the girl left in the air and short found her sitting on the main stairway with Willow and Xander.

"Hey Buffy, Mr. Giles wants us back in the library."

"Oh! Are you two... you know, done?"

"For the moment, yeah, but now we need to 'stop you from flailing about like a fish on land' and teach me how to fight."

The blond girl started laughing despite her best efforts at keeping the smirk on her face contained.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh."

"It's ok, I totally would have made fun of you."

I saw her arm come up to slap me and valiantly resisted casting a _Fortress _and simply took my lumps.

"I have no doubt you would."

Xander chose that moment to speak up, "So, Nick. Super-speed huh... what's that like?"

I had to actually consider that before I answered. Despite the drawbacks I was still intensely infatuated with my new speed. I carefully considered how to reply without coming off as a power obsessed maniac.

"It's difficult to put into words, Xander. When I go running full throttle with my puppy chasing me it just feels _right._ Like there isn't anything in the world but us. It's just... inspiring."

I probably didn't succeed very well.

At that moment Xander turned to Buffy to ask if that was how she felt about her Slayer strength while Willow excitedly demanded to know everything about my puppy.

I instantly went over to ramble mode, "His name is Constantine, he's super grumpy, the most adorable little lab pup you'll ever see and I'm fairly certain he's smarter than half the people I meet."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 022: June 5th, 1997-C*

The Bronze was the only 'nightclub' in Sunnydale and it clearly showed. The venue was part coffee shop, part bar, and utterly infected with cockroaches. The assorted smells excreted by throngs of sweaty teenagers didn't make the place any more pleasant to stay either.

"How come you're so quiet Nick?"

"I have problems on my mind, Harmsy."

Her perfunctory slap didn't so much as shake the beer in my hand.

"Wanna talk about it?

I extended an arm and pulled the girl in close, "I was faced with some uncomfortable truths earlier. I think I should work through it on my own, but thanks for offering."

Harmony flashed me one of her sweet smiles and said, "What else are friends for?"

"Buying alcoholic beverages for their underage friends?"

"You still didn't explain how you convinced the bartender to do that!"

"Magic, Harmsy, magic."

Jonathan's obfuscation spell still held strong on my school ID card. Whoever looked it at would see whatever the wearer wanted them to see. I had tried my hand at the spell myself but I simply lacked the aptitude needed for enchantment to make the spell last long enough to be useful.

"That's not an answer!"

"I know. Let's dance!"

The rest of the evening was spent pretending the music wasn't loud enough to shatter my inner ear column. Throughout the night at the Bronze I kept an eye Buffy. I knew tonight was the night she'd be assaulted by the Three, the warrior vamps in service to The Master, as well as the night she starts to fall for Angel.

I just didn't know what to do. If I don't act I'll benefit from leaving the rails of canon reasonably intact... at the cost of risking Angelus coming out to play a year from now. If I did follow Buffy home I might have the chance to inform her of Angel's vampiric nature before he flashes his abs at her.

Eventually I just settled for letting fate handle it. I made my round of goodbyes and convinced Harmony I didn't need a ride home, collected my duster, and went out to find trouble. The niggling thought that this was a manner of choice didn't bother me overmuch.

Sunnydale was after all mostly safer for having Angel around.

Earlier today Buffy had rubbed her vastly superior fighting skill in my face. Admittedly, the girl was entirely justified in doing so, but I did still have advantages over her.

A willingness to use guns for one, the speed and strength needed to jump from building to building, and lastly but certainly not least were my hyperactive senses that wouldn't let anything sneak up on me.

I was on my third encirclement of the Bronze when I smelled the putrid mix of death and blood I'd forever associate with _wrongness. _My first instinct was to follow the smell straight to the source but thankfully I managed to settle down and _think._

Jumping in without a plan would get me hurt. I needed to stalk the vampire, wait until the leech was distracted by its prey, and loose a carved bolt right through the heart. This was all of course much easier said than done.

I stayed high on top of the various warehouses that littered the district the Bronze was in. Eventually I found a way to approach the vamp, whom I could already hear sweet talking a teenaged male, from downwind. I looked down on the pair as the vamp promised the boy it would take care of him if he followed it into the alley.

The young man's cocky reply drifted through the wind, "Are you sure you can handle me?"

The blond vampire replied seductively, "Oh, I think I could surprise you."

I pulled my collapsible crossbow out, untangled the device, and settled in for the snipe. I thought I'd be a lot more nervous but Constantine's familiar presence in the back of my mind settled me. A heartbeat passed, and another, then another.

The vamp was less than fifteen meters away when I loosed my first bolt. Not risking a failure I immediately re-cocked the crossbow and let the second fly, aiming just behind the vamp.

The first bolt embedded itself in the vamps sides and started sizzling. Jonathan's efforts at carving raised crossed into the bolt made the miss feel less like a failure. The bolt did its job as the vamp swiped at it with phenomenal speed, burned its hand as she touched it and was promptly hit with the second bolt in her leg.

I noticed all of this in what felt like the split second between firing the two bolts. The boy seemed to recover from his shock when he saw the vampires' demonic visage and bolted straight out of the alley.

I didn't waste any time, fired another shot at the vampire but missed, re-cocked the crossbow again and fired at the vampire just as it jumped _up _at me. The bolt struck her in the stomach, unbalanced her landing, and gave me enough time for my plan b.

I dropped the crossbow unceremoniously, twisted my bracelet, and let loose with _Heat Death_. The surprise on the vampire's face was soon replaced with horror when the red beam went _through_ its neck.

For the first time in my life I was treated to the sight of a vampire burning from the inside out. The momentary flash of the skeleton as it expired in the puff of ash was something that would never fail to bring a smile to my face.

I had officially made my first kill and the sheer triumph I felt was exhilarating!

I picked up the crossbow, reloaded it completely, and jumped down to the alley to scavenge my other bolts. Those that managed to survive the vampire's combustion. As I grabbed for the last bolt I heard delicate footsteps and I exploded in the flurry of speed back on top the building. I kept running as I heard the footsteps follow me, jumped to the next building and twisted midair, and aimed my crossbow at the shadow following me.

I fired twice in quick succession when I finally noticed I was shooting at the unfairly handsome face of David Boreanaz. The vampire neatly sidestepped the first bolt but the second, which admittedly went wide, snagged him in the upper arm.

The ensouled vampire reached for the bolt; frowned in surprise when it burned his hand but apparently worked through the pain as he expelled the foreign object from his arm. Angel made no move to jump over from the building he was on to mine and settled into starting at me with his hands crossed.

Eventually he spoke up, "Nice show back there but isn't it past your bedtime?"

I grinned my toothiest grin and replied, "I don't know Liam. You tell me!"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 023: June 5th, 1997-D*

The brooding vampire demonstrated handily that after two centuries of roaming the earth very little ruffled him.

"I haven't gone by that name in long time, Nick."

I guess my feeling that Buffy would tell her mysteriously pale sidekick about me was true. I wasn't exactly upset, the girl didn't know he was a vamp, but I couldn't say I was entirely pleased it. The smug look on his face when he took note of expression might have sparked my desire to erase it.

"Too fond of the derivative your syphilitic sire branded you with?"

Operation un-smuggify-Angel was a stunning success.

"You really are as annoying as Buffy said you were."

"I'll take that as a compliment but let's cut the bickering. Are you here to help Buffy survive the Three?"

The shell of man seemed to consider that for a moment before he spoke up again.

"I am; will you be getting in way?"

The facsimile of a man was as direct with me as he was mysterious with Buffy.

"I wouldn't dream to stand in the way of your redemption." I waited a brief moment and continued, "I mean that Liam. This world; and Buffy in particular, are going to need you."

I could tell that finally reached the fanged man but instead of replying he _rushed_ across the building, jumped and landed in front of me. The moment I noticed him moving I fired off a _Fortress_ and tried my best to not flinch.

"What do you know about that?"

"I have my sources, Liam. My... for lack of better word _visions_... don't just show me a single future... " I trailed off letting the man draw his own conclusions.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

Well, that nixed _that _hope. I guess we'll have to this the awkward way.

I sighed theatrically and replied, "We don't know each other well enough to go into specifics about the big picture, yet."

"Look, kid. I've had enough with the hints and vague messages to last me a life time."

The sheer irony of Angel saying this while he's playing the brooding anti-hero with the Slayer almost got through the veneer of control I had over my amusement. The only thing stopping me from outright laughing is the fact that I didn't want to alienate Angel too far. Sure, I wasn't averse to pushing the man, but if I pretend to be different to Angel while being a dick to Buffy... well I just couldn't justify that to myself.

I knew Whistler wouldn't set foot in Sunnydale for at least another two years. Whether or not I should take advantage of this was the main question on my mind. Unfortunately I already played the seer card.

"Alright. I could tell you something relatively small. Like the state and security of your soul. I don't know whether you'd give _any _credence to my words though."

"Fair point but do tell me regardless."

"The Kaldarash Gypsy Clan you upset in your wilder days left a loophole in the soul curse. Please note the part where they explicitly called it a curse."

The heroic vampire didn't reply but gestured for me to continue.

"They weren't, still aren't, interested in justice, the good you might do or any form of redemption. The curse has a singular intention. To cause you suffering, to ensure you do not experience a single moment of happiness. It's the vehicle of their Vengeance and trust me when I say they make the Sicilians look like children."

"You're not telling me anything I don't know, Nick."

"This will be; when you _do _find happiness what do you think would happen to the soul? What would cause _you _the most suffering?"

The cherubic faced vampire was so still he might as well have been a statue. I wasn't entirely heartless and I did sympathize with the man. That didn't mean I was going to forget how eagerly he embraced being a vampire, even as Liam. After more than a minute passed the vampire finally spoke up.

"They wouldn't be that stupid... "

"I'm afraid they are, in fact, that stupid. They may actually be _more _idiotic then that. The clan sent a representative here to keep an eye on you. They failed to impress upon them the circumstances of the curse. I wouldn't trust them to... well with anything."

The vampire took a step towards me, "What do you hope to gain from this?"

"You're not the only one sent a mission, Liam."

"Did Whistler put you up to this?"

"Whistler is the spawn of a pureblood demon and a Higher Being. I don't trust Whistler but I do admit he has his uses."

"And if I was to ask him about you?"

"I doubt he'd know me but I'm sure he'd be interested. Are you going to tattle on me?"

"You haven't exactly given me a reason not to."

"Whistler hasn't given you a reason to trust him either; unless you count him pointing you towards Buffy of course."

"You're using a lot of words to say nothing, Nick."

"It is what it is, Liam. One last thing, because we do need to able to work together, I know how to avert the prophecy about the Master. I obviously can't share it, or risk fucking it up, but the one thing you and I have in common is wanting to keep Buffy alive. Do you feel we could work together on that front?"

"Tell me what you are."

Interesting. The leech either noticed something off with my smell or the oddity of seeing a teenage boy jumping around is just too obvious. Regardless, I managed to avert the conversation from my goals.

"Not to toot my own horn... but I'm an entirely human but fairly gifted blood mage, Liam. Not many people know that, I would appreciate it if you keep that to yourself."

"You mean keep it from Buffy?"

"Some things are personal, Liam. I imagine you aren't too keen to share the events that transpired in the Hyperion hotel in the 50s with her. And no... I'm not blackmailing you... just asking for a concession."

The angel faced vampire sighed and said, "Fair enough."

"All right then! Last to find Buffy gets to explain why we're following her."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 024: June 5th, 1997-E*

We must have made an odd sight, our mad dash across the rooftops, to casual observers. Fortunately this is Sunnydale and nobody would give it a second thought. The strength of the Masquerade reminded me of several of those old television shows that featured strange paranormal events which are solved by children. Events that would be promptly ignored the next by the parents of the children involved. Every episode they'd be arbitrarily skeptical all over again.

It's almost as if I'm in television show myself.

"Psst, Liam, on your left." I whispered, trusting Angel's vampire hearing to pick up my words.

We had checked the Bronze before and Buffy was still in there dancing herself silly with the 'Scooby Gang'. It wasn't a big deal but did give us some time to coordinate our upcoming battle. Angel was drafted as our tank, running into the fray to keep pressure of Buffy, while I'd use my crossbow to harass the Three. Only as a last resort would I jump into the fray with them.

My aim was utterly atrocious, at least compared to where I wanted it to be, which made me leery of trying to use my shotgun. At least I could easily heal a misfired bolt if it accidentally hit Buffy; burns would be substantially more painful to cure. That being said; I really wanted to set something on fire.

"I'll take the little one." I whispered again to Liam.

His muted reply was only barely loud enough for my senses, "Just don't hit me with the red beam."

Angel was clearly still a little testy from our conversation earlier. That didn't mean he was wrong though. I couldn't imagine having to explain to Buffy I managed to kill Angel by accident.

The two vampires we spotted were in the process of dragging a pair of young girls into an abandoned warehouse. Angel and I dropped from the rooftop we were on when I remembered to warn Angel about my _Flash Bang._

"I'll cast something to disorient them. Do not look at the pretty lights, Liam."

The facsimile of a man didn't bother replying and just nodded his acknowledgement. When we got close enough to the warehouse Angel ran around to cover the back while I counted the seven seconds he wanted me to wait.

About nine heartbeats later I jerked and twisted my _Flash Bang _into existence and lobbed it through the door. The spell briefly illuminated the building and followed that up with the outward explosion of the buildings windows.

I ran through the door and took stock of the situation. The two college aged girls were knocked unconscious in a corner of the building. The pair of vampires was busy clasping their hands to their faces whilst screaming in agony.

They made for wonderful targets.

I aimed my crossbow, let loose with a bolt, and watched as I made my first headshot ever. The next bolt hit the vamp in the stomach while the one after lodged itself in its stomach. The last bolt flew past the vampire as it twisted and ran towards me. I dropped the cross reached into my duster to pull out a stake while I used my other hand to activate my wrist stake.

Armed with two stakes I settled into a defensive posture, cast a _Fortress,_ and waited for the vampire to reach me. A heartbeat later the vampire was on top of me and took a massive swing at me. I blocked the swing with one arm, reeled from the impact despite my skin hardening spell, and tried to stake the vampire with my other arm. The sheer force behind my strike embedded the carved stake to the hilt in the vampires' chest but I missed the heart.

The vampire managed to work through the inconvenience of having multiple wooden objects forcibly stuffed into it and pushed me away. I rolled with the momentum and saw the vampire standing with his back towards a wall. It used the brief window to pry the stakes out of itself.

I didn't waste the opportunity, to lob my entropy spell at the creature without risking anyone else, and unleashed the _Heat Death_ on the walking corpse. The following immolation was just as amusing as the first one I witnessed. Sheer exhilaration coursed through me until I noticed Angel standing over the two girls.

No sign of the other vamp.

I crossed the distance in what felt like a single step, crouched near the two girls, and busied myself drawing out their injuries with _Bank Safe._Angel seemingly knew what blood mages were about considering he didn't moan and bitch when I shoved my fingers into their neck wounds.

A handful of heartbeats later and both their eyes flew open. We calmed both girls down and I insisted we walk them to the main road. Angel wasn't one for compassion to strangers.

Neither was I.

**XxXXxX**

**June 5th, 1997**

The next hour was boring me senseless, it was only a little past twelve, and we didn't find so much as a mugging. Eventually Angel's Buffy senses must have started tingling because he gestured for me to follow him to the Bronze.

I did my best keeping the surprise out of my expression but Angel certainly caught it. His ensuing smirk was the first form of smile I saw on the ensouled vampire. Buffy just exited the Bronze, on her own, and headed out into the dark.

We kept our distance from the girl and relied on my heightened sense of smell to keep up with her. After a few minutes we were closing in on her neighborhood and we still hadn't seen a peep from the Three. If Angel wasn't certain they'd be out tonight I might have started questioning my recollection.

Of course that was the moment the trio of vampires struck.

Buffy was caught by surprise but managed to work one to the ground while kicking another across the street. The last vampire caught her from the back and threw the blond Slayer over his shoulder at the car behind him.

Angel surprised me with the sheer _acceleration _he was capable of. He was on the vampire closest to Buffy before my second bolt left the crossbow. The first curiously implanted itself firmly into the heart of the ugliest vampire leading to an immediate immolation. The second hit the ashy air.

Buffy recovered from the annoying surprise of an Angel sized projectile stealing a vampire from her and ran to meet the remaining vampire in hand to hand combat.

With both vampires occupied I really didn't have much to do beyond closing in. Instead I jumped on top of a nearby garage, collapsed the crossbow, and pulled out my shotgun. It was the last chance I'd have to use it and I wasn't going to waste it.

I jumped off the garage, got myself a little closer to the conflict, and waited until Buffy threw the vampire through the air. Knowing her it was inevitable and my hunch was proven right when a few seconds later the vampire lined up perfectly with my aimed 'Dragon's Breath' rounds.

The loud and fiery shrapnel hit the vampire and it burned as it fell to the ground. Certain that it wouldn't be enough to kill the vampire quick I shot another round into the trashing vampire. Its ashy demise was certainly a sight for sore eyes.

Buffy looked at me with comically widened eyes and I couldn't resists.

"Can your punches do that?"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 025: June 6th, 1997-A*

I had received a reply from the Watcher's Council concerning the ancient artifact, the Golden cross of Du Lac, I had sent to them the week before. According to the Council Du Lac's ancient secrets were worth exactly eighteen thousand dollars to the cent.

The number did seem a tad on the low side to me but considering I was unwilling to trust the Council with the Zeus-maker, destroying the manuscripts would be pointless, and frankly too difficult for me to put in use... I simply took it as free money.

My finances were healthy enough to see me through high school and god forbid college, if I'm stuck here that long, so the sum could safely be spent on making Sunnydale a safer place.

For me.

The excitement on Andrew and Jonathans faces when I told them about it was only matched, and quite possibly exceeded, by my offer to split the money three ways. Andrew immediately offered to put half of his share into the production of shiner toys and Jonathan promised to use his part to expand our magical library. I let the boys know I'd be using most of my share for the same purposes but I was going to spend a fraction of it on them.

"I-I look... this isn't like me!"

"I thought that was rather the point, Andrew?"

"I really don't agree with this either!"

"I'm actually quite alright with that, Johnny."

Both boys glared their cute little ineffectual glare and looked ready to share their mutinous thoughts. Since I couldn't have that I decided to preempt their attempt.

"In fact, I do actually believe this would be the point where both of you thank Harmony profusely for her time and efforts."

Harmony's smug expression was utterly priceless. We all had spent most of the morning in LA shopping for new outfits for the boys and she had been a godsend. Her flaying tongue ridiculed, shamed and at some points simply browbeat the two lads into acceptance. They still didn't quite _believe _that clothes do in fact make the man but they were getting there.

After we finished up shopping for the boys I treated the entire group to lunch at some swanky place Harmony simply _had _to go to. The girl brought three of her minions with her and I swear I could hear her thinking that her control over them was absolute... unlike me and my boys.

**XxXXxX**

**June 6th, 1997**

The lads and I left the girls to their own devices for a few hours, certain that a bunch of teenage girls could amuse themselves in the big city, and headed out to a certain magic shop. Our excuse that Drew wanted to visit a specific comic book shop was enough to guarantee none of them would interfere with our plans.

We got lost for a good long while, damn my lack of gps navigation, but eventually we found the Book City. The store wasn't flashy and over the top like Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet but it did have a rather understated elegance.

I walked towards the shop, flanked by Jonathan, and set off to find Mr. Denver. We left Andrew in the car to guarantee our smooth escape.

Just in case.

The proprietor of the magic shop was an old acquaintance of Angel's and I was here to take advantage of that. In the fifties Angel had met the man while searching for the supplies necessary to kill a majorly powerful Thesulah demon. The demon haunted the Hyperion hotel which the cherubic faced vampire would base his headquarters out of in the future. Back then it was in actual use as a hotel... and as a buffet for the suicide inspiring demon.

When Angel found Denver and tried to purchase the supplies the purveyor of magic scorned him for his vampiric nature and tried to ward him off. Fortunately for him Angel was already in the possession of a soul and simply disarmed the man... acquired the supplies and promptly left.

The immensely powerful magical object that was kept on a shelf by Denver was entirely worth coming all this way to Los Angeles. I had high hopes that Denver would simply give or sell me the item but should the worst come to pass I had Johnny prepare a little spell.

The boy managed to get his hands on the 'Bone of The Fakir' and had brought it for its use as a focal device to channel anti-surveillance spell. The spell temporarily, for around six and a half minutes, blocked all access to its wearer. It covered everything from sight, smell, and scrying to errant traffic cameras but its downside was the unbearably long downtime between its uses.

I signaled Johnny to get ready to explore the shop and bag the artifact if it looked like the shopkeeper might deny our request. I left it up to him whether or not he'd pilfer any other powerful goodies he came upon.

"Now, mate."

I walked into the building and was immediately set upon by the proprietor of the shop. The aged man looked as if he could fall over from the sheer effort of walking across the shop floor but eventually made it over to us.

"Good afternoon, what can I do for you?"

"Would I be right to assume you're Mr. Denver?"

"That would indeed be me. Did someone refer you to my shop, young man?"

"Yes, sir. My name is Nicolas Blackwater and I was sent here by the vampire Angel."

The man's frail demeanor melted away immediately and his eyes seemingly came to life.

"Angel sent you... whatever for?"

"We're having some problems on the Boca del Inferno, sir. We fear we will be beset upon soon by an ancient demon wearing the skin of a Kleynach demon and rumor has it you're the one person who has an oven mitt that could stop it."

The old shop keeper went awfully quiet for a few heartbeats but eventually spoke up.

"That's an exceptionally powerful 'oven mitt' young man. I would entrust it to Angel in a heartbeat, if you would pardon the expression, but I do not know you."

"I understand your hesitancy, sir. If Angel was in a position to come he would have but he is needed on the Hell Mouth. He did tell me in excruciating detail about your encounter in 1952 and how it inspired you to look for the good in people... and demons. I'm asking you to do the same now, sir."

The old man pinned me with a curious gaze, nodded once, and shuffled to the back of the shop.

I had to trust that Jonathan was performing his part because even to my senses the boy simply vanished completely. The running timer in my mind roughly guessed we had another three minutes left on the spell.

The geriatric shop owner was gone for another minute when I started to feel the deadline coming closer and closer. Eventually he shuffled his way out with a wooden box.

"I implore you, young man, to take the greatest of care with this."

The man handed me the box, I peeked inside and _felt _the power the artifact radiated, and closed it. The power was incredible but it _tasted _neutral. There was no influence along with it. The power simply _was_.

"I will, sir. Do you have a message I should pass on to our mutual acquaintance?"

"Just that I still treasure his gift... just tell him that for me."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 026: June 6th, 1997-B*

I left the Book City, taking care to leave an opening for Jonathan to follow me out, and headed out to car where Andrew was waiting for us.

"Did you get it, Nick?"

"Yeah we did, the shopkeeper was an old softie, and I wonder what Johnny was up to though."

"How long before he turns bac-"

Jonathan had appeared in the backseat and slapped Drew on the back of his head. With all of us in the car I started the engine and drove off. We still had a few places to hit.

"Already back, Andrew. Boy... that was something... I think I understand why the cool-down on the spell is so long."

"What do you mean, Johnny?"

"It's not just a cloaking spell like I thought the last time I used it... I was _mostly_ displaced but I could still interact with everything. I just _feel _that if I went back a third time... it would be bad. Don't ask please."

Well, fuck.

I hadn't considered that particular outcome but I was sincerely pleased Johnny hadn't gone 'poof' on us.

"Alright, Johnny, just remember we're here for you if you do need to talk later."

The boy nodded but remained quiet for the rest trip. Drew and I didn't really know what else to do so I awkwardly put on the radio. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the intro tunes of The Verve blaring on the first channel I tried. The radio disk jockey exclaimed it was a sneak preview and whoever could answer some stupid question or other would win tickets to their show.

I started singing along with Ashcroft until I noticed Drew staring at me about half way through Bitter Sweet Symphony.

"Erm. I didn't think my voice was that bad, Drew?"

"No... that... I-I... what the hell, Nick!"

I certainly didn't expect that reaction from the usually non-confrontational boy.

"What?"

"Do you visions tell you about song lyrics?"

Oh.

_OH!_

Well damn.

"In a manner of speaking... I don't want to lie to you, Drew. Can we table this for now, please? I promise I'll explain everything in the summer holidays."

Both boys agreed and I spent the rest of the trip chastising myself over such an obvious slip. If one of Harmony's friends was in the car with us this could have gotten even more awkward.

A few minutes of silence later and we arrived at the electronics shop we were looking for. All three of us hopped out to help Andrew collect his massive order. The blond teen had ordered close to three hundred Logitech webcams, a variety of other electronics and a whole bunch of computer monitors that looked positively ancient to my eyes.

The shop owner was kind enough to package the webcams together with the smaller pieces of random tech Andrew needed. It obviously fell to me to carry the heavy boxes back to my car. After a trip or three we had firmly secured everything and went back out into the city.

We were going to catch a movie called Speed 2 with the girls. When we met them though I immediately nixed that option and insisted we'd watch the recently released film Con Air. I would never tire of Malkovitch movies.

**XxXXxX**

**June 10th, 1997**

Once again I was in the basement of Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet meditating while my senses were assaulted. Uncle Bob claimed Giles' meditation techniques were adequate but I was to adhere to his alterations.

When I asked for a clarification all I got was the cryptic and rather ominous reply that 'what's good enough to contain the Ripper might not be sufficient for you'. My instructor set up the same mind altering incense he had attuned to me weeks before.

The only thing he added to the whole experience was the annoying 'sounds of the savannah' tape he had blaring through the speaker system he set up for me.

I spent considerably longer under siege this time but eventually the mental assault came to an end when Uncle Bob shut everything down.

"That was about six hours and you held up reasonably well, boy." After a brief moment the man continued, "You haven't been eager to explore new magics lately. Is Ripper making you soft?"

It wasn't so much that Giles put a stop to my more adventurous ideas but the man did impress certain considerations upon me. After the librarian handily trounced me with nothing but telekinesis I was inclined to accept his view that rushing into new magic is interesting but not the best use of your time. You are better served if you flesh out what you already posses.

When I complained to the man about the abominably shoddy control and power of my own telekinetic powers he agreed to help me focus. The fact that I was used to forcing my magic through my foci bracelet was severely limiting my ability to impact the world around me with unformed magic. Warlocks like Uncle Bob could get away with working foci-less but if you didn't have access to divine Patrons to protect you from the backlash well... things rapidly become more difficult.

All I could do was continue to do my meditations and strengthen my hold on my own magic.

"Not exactly, sir, but I don't have any scary rituals planned soon. I'm helping my two friends explore what I've already learned though. It's been very educational sitting on the other side of the table... so to speak."

My instructor nodded, went out of the room to get the teas he loved so much, handed me a cup and spoke up.

"Ripper... the man was a regular beast in his day. I can understand his reticence. Did you tell him about _everything_ you did?"

"No. He was rather upset about the familiar rituals and compared to messing with the Primal that was child's play. I just decided to accept the consequences and suck it up."

Everything I ate that wasn't meat tasted like cardboard. I'd pay that price for super powers any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

"Good. You're learning, boy. The nature of Flesh Magics should insulate you from the very worst, which is why I never stood in your way, so if there is anything you wouldn't share with Ripper... I hope you know better than to expect judgment from me."

With a supernatural force of willpower I ruthlessly squashed my desire to poke the scary Warlock about his body language indicating jealousy and just nodded.

"I do have _some _interesting ideas, sir.

The Warlock smiled, his eyes got that odd glitter and told me to get on with it.

"You know how tracking and locating spells use connected objects to find what they are looking for? Is there any way to use the _links _between objects in a more... useful way?"

"Elaborate."

Heh.

He only got gruff when he's impressed.

"Like for instance; could I link pieces I scavenge from around the city to make a miniature model of it. A model I could _manipulate_ and _observe_ in real time?"

My instructor went incredibly still, drifted off into one of his meditations, and snapped out of it ten minutes later. His booming laugh filled me with hope I might actually survive the Hell Mouth.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 027: June 10th, 1997-A*

Thoroughly pleased with our brainstorming session I walked out of my instructor's magic shop. The two of us had agreed that I was to provide the magical punch to set up the structure of the model and handle the multitude of connections. Uncle Bob would handle the finer magical work which due to his long career as Warlock became near instinctive. I knew having a magical mentor would work out.

Of course... all the legwork would have to be done by me.

Yippy.

I walked out the door, crossed the street to the parking zone, while still preoccupied with our upcoming project. Words simply couldn't describe how excited I was for Little Sunnydale to come into being.

Clearly I suffer from the same curse Angel does because right then and there Sunnydale decided to punish me for my joy. I smelled the putrid combination of death and blood which was never a good thing in the best of circumstances.

I didn't let up I noticed I was being watched and briefly considered turning around back to the magic shop. Flashes of Angel's terrible speed quickly crossed out that suicidal plan. The vampire's smell was at least two hours old which meant that whoever they were... I was their target. I'd rather face the music now than be caught unaware later.

Instead I reached into my duster for one of my small paintball guns and hid it in my sleeve; cast a _Fortress_, withdrew the knuckle-brass with cross carvings and continued onwards to my car.

The smell gradually got thicker and when I came close to the corner crossing I heard two distinct sets of footsteps. One of them was walking near my car while the other was in the alley I'd have the walk past to get to my car.

I went around the corner, saw the blond figure in the distance as it sat down on the hood of my car, and confidently kept walking. Constantine let me know he was lending his support by way of his intensely personal presence in the back of my mind. I can't put into words how much better that always made me feel.

A moment later and I was a few steps away from the alley. I was reasonably sure I knew exactly where the vampire in the alley was but so far my entire plan was to... rush in and hope to kill it before other vamp closes in on me. Yet, when the alternative was to fall into the trap, I could live with it.

I hoped.

Just before I got to the alley I dismissed my _Fortress_, preferring flexibility over a one-shot defense, and ran in to the alley. The vampire was lurking in the shadows almost exactly where I expected it to be and when I fired into its general area with the paintball gun I readied myself to use the entropy spell.

The vampire did the thoroughly predictable maneuver of bum-rushing me but was agile enough to dodge my _Heat Death_. Knowing I blew my load I exploded into action, jumped on a nearby ledge and launched myself from there onto the rooftop, and kept running.

Vampires might be able to catch me in a sprint but I can jump better... unless Angel was fucking with me and let me win.

God damn it.

I turned around as I heard the vampire reach the roof and met him with a _Heat Death_ to the stomach. It exploded in fiery ashes almost immediately. I turned around to continue jumping buildings when I saw the blond vampire leaning against the wall across from me.

"Impressive. I see why my Angelus played with you."

"Hello, I'd call you by your given name... but you have forgotten it haven't you Darla?"

The blond vampire could have so very _easily_ crossed the distance while I was engaged with the other vamp but she chose not to. The bitter thought galled me extremely but it did mean she didn't want me dead... yet. Trying to keep her unbalanced without pissing her off would be a fucking joy...

The soulless leach smiled, wagged her finger at me and said, "You're fast becoming interesting, young man."

"Somehow I doubt being of interest to the Mistress of the Whirlwind will be healthy for me."

The walking corpse laughed a thoroughly seductive laugh, winked and said, "The Master was right about you. I'm glad I don't have to bring him disappointing news."

I decided to simply not play her game and show my knowledge of the vastly scarier but locked up Master. Instead I went for a different tack and cast a _Fortress._

"On a scale from one to ten, Darla, how high do vampires rank on the demonic hierarchy?"

The ex-prostitute seemed to actually consider it for a moment, grasped her chin between her thumb and index finger, and eventually spoke up.

"A little past the middle I'd say. Are you angling to ascend to a higher life form?"

My situation felt dire enough to risk close combat. I was under no illusions I would kill her that way but slowing her down with two stakes in her and taking off running was a win to.

I just needed her enraged.

"How much longer will your delusion of superiorly last once your Master frees the Old Ones?"

She didn't rise to the occasion.

"You're remarkably well informed. I must have a chat with Angelus soon; despite his tainted nature he still has an eye for talent."

Let's kick it up a notch. I really need her to make the first move.

I tried to weaponize smugness with the toothy grin I gave Darla, "That's debatable. Mostly I'm just impressive when contrasted to a rundown syphilitic whore."

That did it for the blond prostitute, the blond vampire rushed me, I flicked my wristband and felt the comforting weight of the stake in my hand. Darla noticed the stake and veered off the right. I twisted with her keeping the vampire right in front of me and fired the paintball gun on automatic at her.

Several pellets her, mildly sizzling the ancient vampire, but it was enough to throw off her next assault. I dropped the paintball gun just as she finally got close enough to take a swipe at my stake hand, missed as I twisted slightly to the left, but connected with her other fist to my face.

I slightly felt the knockback, cast another _Fortress_ as I moved my left hand to counter, and watched as my brass left a sizable indentation in her cheek. Darla's own counter hit me in the stomach, to similar little effect, and this time my own retaliation firmly embedded the stake in her neck.

Darla immediately _jumped_ backwards across the rooftop and I took the opening to cast a _Heat Death_ at her. Unfortunately the vampire was quick enough to sidestep it as she jumped down to the alley.

I took the moment to grab two stakes from my duster, picked up the paintball gun, and ran as fast as I could. The name of the game was suddenly build up momentum and run to Sunnydale High.

I just needed twelve uninterrupted seconds before I'd be untouchable to the vampire.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 028: June 10th, 1997-B*

My heart was thundering in my chest as I jumped from the building I fought the blond vampire on to the next.

Ten seconds.

I heard the footsteps of a recovered Darla on ground level.

Eight seconds.

The footsteps kept getting louder.

Six seconds.

I'm running about fifty kilometers per hour, definitely nearing my top speed, and was almost at the point where I'd be safe.

Four seconds.

Suddenly I couldn't hear the footsteps anymore. I readied myself for another jump, positive I was going to be in the clear soon. While I was midair I was hit by a fucking freight train.

I lost all momentum and fell to the ground in an undignified heap.

_Fuck!_

The _Fortress _I had active was the only thing stopping me from breaking multiple bones upon my landing. It however still left me dazed and incredibly disoriented. The spell negates most of whatever impacts me but that still left _enough_ force to make me see proverbial stars.

I pushed myself off the ground, found myself on my feet, and reached for two new stakes. I had lost the old ones during my brief Wile. E. Coyote impersonation. Before I could withdraw them Darla _flew _at me.

I was thrown through the windows of an abandoned warehouse. Ruthlessly squashing the rogue thought bubbling up about there not being any non-abandoned warehouses in Sunnydale I checked myself for damage.

The leather duster absorbed a great deal but quite fortunately for me it didn't cover all my skin. A handful of glass shards had embedded themselves in my hands and face. I used the accompanying release of pain to cast a quick succession of _Bank Safe_ to rid myself of the various cuts, aches and bruises my short struggle netted me.

Things got really quiet then. Either Darla figured out I could track her by ear or she was just gone. Somehow I doubted the latter was the case. Instead I started leaning more on my sense of smell and after a heartbeat got a bead on the putrid stench Darla emanated.

I jerked my bracelet, let an extremely unstable _Flash Bang_ form and threw up it up at the ceiling. Just before I broke the connection that would set it off I 'turtled' myself under my duster.

The flash of blinding passed by me harmlessly but the concussive force was even worse than the last time I used it. The various crates and left behind equipment exploded from the force and flew all around the building. My hearing was shot but since clearly the fucking vampire figured out how she should be trying to sneak up on me, it didn't matter.

I emerged from my duster, grabbed two stakes, and desperately wished I hadn't left my shotgun in my car. I looked around and cast my senses as far as they could go. I fired off an instinctive _Fortress_ just as a fucking _metal table _appeared to be flying towards me. I ducked but the edge of the table still nicked my head and I fell to the ground from the impact.

Suddenly the stench was unbearable and Darla was on top of me. Her first kick launched me towards the far wall of the room, her follow up punch drove me back into the ground, and afterwards the vampire didn't give me an opening to recover.

The blond vampire grabbed me by the foot and swung me over her head towards the nearest wall. I hit the wall, briefly noted the indentation I made in it, and before I even hit the ground the vamp was on me again.

It grabbed me by the throat with a single hand and pulled me up towards her bringing me up to face height with the foul animated corpse.

The creature ferociously snarled but its voice sounded distant, "Regretting your words now, little boy?"

I was still too dazed to do anything about it but grab for her arm.

That was when I finally got my first decent break in this running battle. Darla was apparently pissed I didn't reply and punched me in the mouth. The impact dazed me further but the moment I tasted blood in my mouth I knew what to do.

I collected the blood in my mouth and spit it in Darla's face, yelled as loud as I could with the steel grip on my throat **Ignis Sanguis**, and watched as the droplets of superheated blood melted _through _the vampire's right eye and cheek.

The vampire screamed in outrage, reflexively dropped me, and grabbed for her face. I didn't have time for any other clever tricks and instead I settled for pummeling the bitch.

I kicked at her knee while she was still distracted, quickly caught her attention again with an uppercut to her jaw, and followed that up with a right hook to its already hurt face. Darla staggered backwards, recovered near instantly, and went on to prove why she'd survived three centuries of conflict.

The flurry of retaliatory punches and kicks she hit me with flowed together as though it was perfectly and extensively choreographed. I collapsed in a heap in a corner of the room she launched me at.

The muted sounds of the vampire's snarl reached me just as she did, "I was just going to kill you. Now I'm going to make you suffer, little boy."

The foul creature was on me, picked me up again, and _embedded _me on a piece of thick metal piping sticking out of the wall I had just barely missed before.

I saw the pipe emerge from just under my navel, grabbed the piece of metal to keep me from falling and ripping myself to pieces. The pain wasn't the very worst I felt up until then but it certainly wasn't to be fucking scoffed at. Darla's cruel laugh was only punctuated by the punches she landed on my shoulders and chest. She wasn't trying very hard to get me to let go... in fact I doubt she wanted the fun to be over too soon.

The thought that she was _playing_ with me upset me more than all the hurt she'd been laying on me. I channeled the utter _fury _I felt at being so fucking helpless and readied myself to make my last stand. Constantine made his presence known and gave me the little boost I so desperately needed.

If I was going out like _this _the bitch was coming with me. To cover what I was planning I reached deep inside for the vestiges of the Hyena, looked downwards and _howled_.

"**I'M NOT PREY, BITCH!"**

I let go of the pipe of my own accord, gladly embraced the accompanying rending and tearing of my flesh, and used the incredible power of it to cast something I had never dared before.

I gathered the structure through my pain filled blind fugue state and called forth the biggest and most unstable entropy curse I'd ever cast. The _Heat Death _exploded from out of my gut in a forty five degree arc and decimated everything in its path. The whole building shook, an entire wall disintegrated into nothingness and the ceiling came down with it.

Despite that utter relief rushed through my entire being.

I grabbed for wall behind me, finally found some purchase, and pushed myself off the fucking pipe. I collapsed on the floor but not before I started channeling an extended _Bank Safe _from the tear caused by my fall.

I was watching my ruined guts slowly mend themselves as I heard that grating voice from behind me.

"You missed!"

Two hot points of pain appeared in my neck and I smiled as I knew what to do.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 029: June 10th, 1997-C*

I always imagined getting sucked dry would be like being drained by two very large syringes. I was absolutely correct. There was however no pleasure involved in the act whatsoever. Clearly all those thinly veiled vampire porn novels are pieces of magnificent propaganda.

It hurt.

The feeding hurt much worse than _anything _else Darla had done to me. I felt my blood surge out of me and with it the sympathetic magical links I was establishing between myself and my life giving essence.

There was no incantation, no spell structure that guided the power; this was ancient primal blood magic. This was the kind of magic my 'Flesh Magic' tome spoke of. The type of magic early man used to carve out enclaves out of the territories of the Old Ones. The legends that survived from this time claimed that the Elder Demons simply lost their purchase on our reality.

The legends have been distorted.

The Old Ones lost their grip on this reality because my spiritual predecessors merrily butchered, dominated, subverted and rampaged across their holdings. Countless eon's of struggles against the legions of the Old Ones eventually winded down when their subordinate Lesser Demons were scattered into the wind.

At great cost to the mages they managed to reclaim the greater part of the world for themselves. Losing their primary source of worshippers the Old Ones started fading and the squabbles amongst themselves over the last vestiges of power intensified. Regardless of their eventual success... tangling with pure demons, be they Lesser or Elder, always came with exceedingly high costs of life and magic.

Fortunately for me I wasn't facing a pure demon let alone an Old One.

When I felt that one moment of _rightness_I jacked my whole hand into the tear in my gut. I released the tight hold I held over my magic for the briefest of moments... felt it course through the vampire attached to my neck... and _unleashed_ my will on the little blood demon.

Darla jerked away from me with a gasp, promptly lost her demon visage, and stood as still as a statue. I withdrew my hand from my intestines but kept a finger poking through the skin. Afterwards I jerked a little further in the tear and started my extended healing process with _Bank Safe_.

I watched as body started mending itself but when I felt I was out of danger of passing out from bloodloss I focused on Darla.

I growled, "**Rip out your fangs**."

The undead whore reached into her mouth and started ripping out her death-bringing fangs without a sign of resistance. I knew I couldn't keep this up for long but I simply _had _to have a trophy from this. I'm not sure whether this came from a forgotten instinct or if I was simply still in grips of my own bloodlust.

Maybe I just wanted the bitch to know how badly she fucked up. I reached into what's left of my duster, pulled out a stake, and threw it at her feet.

I growled at the foul creature again, "**Drop the fangs on the ground, pick up the stake, and embed it in your heart**."

The syphilitic vampire obeyed without hesitation and without any fuss simply pushed the stake in her chest. Her immolation was a fucking _joy _to watch.

I rolled over on my back between the rubble and settled in to waiting for my healing spell to finish. I wasn't quite sure how it would fix my blood loss but I'll give that some thought when I next meet Uncle Bob.

All in all it took a little over six minutes before I was back to a hundred percent. I walked over the fangs, pocketed them, and swore to myself to never be caught without my shotgun or crossbow again. I cast a _Fortress_ just to be on the safe side and jumped out of the holes in the ceiling.

I made my way across the buildings back to my car, sniffed the air deeply just to be cautious but didn't find any new putrid smells. When I reached my car I immediately went to the trunk, retrieved both my ranged weapons, and hopped into the driver seat. I drove off to the library. I needed to let Rip- err... Giles know what just happened.

**XxXXxX**

**June 10th, 1997**

When I reached the library I fervently hoped Giles would be around. If I had wasted my time coming here instead of meeting up with Uncle Bob I'd be super fucking pissed.

Luckily for me things finally seemed to be going my way when I reached the library. Giles and Buffy were sparring in the clearance while Xander and Willow were doing something with the computer.

I cleared my throat and said, " ?"

Xander immediately spoke up, "Holy smokes, Nick, you look like shit."

Giles stopped playing punching bag for Buffy, turned around, and I heard him sharply inhale a breath of air.

"No fucking shit, Xander. Are you going to tell me vampires are bad news next?"

Willows fairly predictable but annoying exclamation certainly didn't help. "Hey! Language!"

"Everyone be quiet! Nick, what happened to you?"

"I was on my way home when I was jumped by two vampires. One of them died easily. The other beat the ever living fuck out of me."

I took a deep breath and continued, "And then it went poof in a flash of ash when a stake got through its un-beating heart."

Buffy decided to let her presence be know right then.

"No fiery gun at hand?"

So. Not. Helping.

"Buffy, let's stay on point. Now, Nick, were you specifically targeted or was it a random attack?"

Way to go Giles.

"The dangerous vampire was Darla, Liam's sire, and she said she was on a 'fact finding mission' for someone called 'The Master' and that he was interested in me. I swear I could hear her capitalize the M in Master."

Willow gasped, Giles gulped, but Xander jumped up and ran to me. When the boy reached me he grabbed me by the shoulders and stared straight at me.

"Did you kill her?"

"Yea, she's incredibly dead. I scattered the ashes just to be safe."

The lad then pulled me into a tight hug and exclaimed, "Thank you!"

I was a little confused until I remembered that Darla was responsible for Xander's best friend being turned.

"You're welcome, mate. So Mr. Giles... any chance you have a little drill around here?"

Buffy cut in with her own question before Giles could reply, "Nick, who is Liam?"

"Oh. Liam is Angel. Did he not tell you his real name?"

"No. No I guess he didn't."

"He must not like you very much."

"Hey!"

"Children, play nice. Now what was it you wanted, a drill?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the two fangs I _collected _and showed them to Giles_, _"Yeah. I beat the teeth out Darla and I'd like to make a necklace with them."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 030: June 11th, 1997-A*

"Hey, good morning guys, sorry I was a bit late."

"No problem, Johnny. Hop in."

Andrew and I had just picked up Jonathan on our morning route to school. On the way to him I told Andrew something had happened the night before but I'd explain once Johnny was with us.

"Ok, spill it, Nick."

"Yesterday I was ambushed by two vampires. One of them was a no-name fledgling but the other was a three centuries old master vampire. She, Darla, spent most of a half hour beating me senseless."

Both boys gasped but Johnny recovered first and spoke up, "Well you're here in one piece in the daylight so I'm sure you made it out fine but... did they come after you specifically?"

Johnny was getting better at thinking things through and that filled me with a quiet sort of pride. Both boys made tremendous progress compared to where they were before but Johnny was still leagues ahead on Andrew in certain matters. His magical studies came along nicely and if I judged things correctly he was about as far as he'd be in the sixth season. Beyond that the boy still had a long way to go on the social front.

That's where Andrew had Johnny beat. His own magic was still suitably impressive but the biggest change for him was the quiet confidence that filled him. The boy had simply ceased taking crap from anyone; most impressively standing up to his brother.

A few days ago Andrew showed up at my door with a rather big shiner and asked if he could come in. He explained he got into a fight with his brother at their home, managed to knock the lad out with a vase, and then cussed out his parents for their inability to rein the little psychopath in.

Afterwards he ran back to his still dazed brother, held a baseball bat at this throat, and warned him off with a series of rather impressive threats. This harder edge on the boy certainly made my mind spin with all the delicious opportunities that came with it.

"Yea, during the confrontation the vamp mentioned they had me under surveillance, which brings me to my next point. I doubt that their 'associates' aren't aware of you two. I want both of you to spend the next week or two at my place."

Andrew didn't have an issue with that but Johnny needed a little convincing. When pressed he exclaimed that he wasn't all that interested in hiding from things, especially since they might already be in the crosshairs of the local vamps.

"The Master vampire sent his best and most loyal vamp at me just moments after night break, Johnny. I have no doubt they would firebomb your house to get you out of it."

"What's the plan then?"

"We try to find out their base of operations and end the threat. I spoke with Buffy yesterday and she thinks we should go patrolling every night this week to beat some answers out of the grunts."

Andrew chose that moment to speak up, "I finished the headband with Miss Carpenter's help, it's in the computer lab; we can't help in the field yet, but we can at least play command center for you."

That definitely came as a pleasant surprise. When the boy told me about his plans for a head-cam I thought it would have taking at least several weeks.

I shared that sentiment with Drew, "I thought that would have taken much longer?"

Drew proudly replied, "I may be behind on my school work, or my chores at home, or sleep really. It is finished though!"

"Haha, well done. How does it work?"

"Well... I need you to power the device with a sympathetic link but beyond that it's mostly the 'techno-babble' that makes your eyes gloss over. Do you really want the specifics?"

I just stuck my tongue on in reply.

"Fine! Be that way, Drew."

**XxXXxX**

**June 11th, 1997**

"She's right around the corner. Get ready, Nick."

Drew warned me that 'Operation Corrupt the Witch' was a go. I had left the boy out of most of the planning but he had a fairly good grasp on the objective. The first step was introduce ourselves as an effective deterrent to her mother, who the girl still incredibly feared, after that we planned to establish ourselves as competent Warlocks. We still weren't planning on including the girl until she came to us though.

I picked the little red stress ball I bought out of my pocket and lobbed it high in the air. Jonathan caught the ball with his far more proficient telekinesis and promptly returned the ball to me. I extended my magic to _swallow _the ball and directed it very carefully back at Jonathan.

At that moment Amy walked into the corridor and froze as she took in the sight. We had positioned ourselves so she'd stumble over us with our backs turned to her. She would 'accidently' witness our TK game and then hopefully draw her own conclusion.

Jonathan TK'd the ball to Andrew who'd pretend to direct the ball my way. Drew still hadn't been able to cotton on to telekinesis but Jonathan was good enough to make it look it real. The ball headed my way and I returned it, again extremely carefully, back to Jonathan at face height.

That was the signal for Jonathan to catch the ball with his hands and stammer out his lines.

"Uhh. T-that wasn't w-what it looked like!"

Andrew and I turned around and were met with the sight of Amy slightly grinning.

"So that wasn't the three of you playing catch with your minds?"

"Uhh... "

We all knew to remain quiet and let the girl make the next move.

The girl sighed and _pulled_ at the little red ball in Jonathan's hand. The ball flew out at an incredible speed and she kept the thing going around in circles around her head.

She smiled and said, "Really, you don't have to hide it from me."

I didn't want to make an impression of being weak at this point so again it fell to Jonathan to make the next the move. He extended his hand, _pulled _back at the little ball, and we were treated to the sight of the most adorable tug-o-war ever.

A minute or two later both Amy and Jonathan were frowning and I could tell that fatigue was setting it. That was my cue to get involved.

I gathered up my magic again, focused it into an as small as I could possibly make it area, and slapped the force on Amy's nose. The girl's focus broke and she flashed me a betrayed look.

"Hey, that's just not fair!"

I smiled my 1000watt smile and said, "Since when is magic about being fair?"

The blond cheerleader smiled but questioningly asked, "What is it about then?"

I let my smile settle into a predatory grin, growled a little, and said "**Power**."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	4. Chapter 4

*Chapter 031: June 11th, 1997-B*

I was on my way to meet Andrew in the computer lab when I came across the faint smell of blood. Considering this was Sunnydale High I simply couldn't justify walking away from it. I followed the scent through the corridor, crossed the main hall, and found the source of it when I reached the school's entrance.

One of the kids in my computer class sat on the stairs and kept fingering the back of his left hand. I got a little closer once I tracked the smell down to him and that's when I saw the little letter M the boy had carved in there.

_Fuck_.

I had completely forgotten about the demon that uploaded itself to the internet. My memory of that particular episode was too fuzzy for me to handle this by dropping into Buffy's lap. This meant I needed to fake a suitable vision and get off my ass to help them.

From what I vaguely recalled the demon was scanned into a computer by Willow. The girl then _somehow _got to chatting with the creature and somewhere along the way the redhead was kidnapped and taken to a research facility. The robot body Buffy was to face there was ridiculously strong but I didn't remember how it got expelled from the internet.

I put my nose to use again to sniff out Buffy's scent from the sea of contradicting smells all around me. Eventually I found the girl walking out of a bathroom and immediately accosted her.

"Buffy! I got a vision. Let's go find Mr. Giles."

The girl took it well and even kept quiet until we reached the library. Giles was deeply engrossed in one of his books. Buffy caught his attention the only way she knows how.

"Giles. We have a problem."

"Oh dear, well what is it?"

The diminutive Slayer just looked over at me and I took that as my cue to start talking.

"There's a demon loose on the internet. I don't know what it is but I saw a logo that spelled CRD Labs. Are you missing any books that contain demons? I'm thinking they got scanned in and that happened to count as having 'read' the book."

Instead of replying the librarian immediately walked over to his precious bookshelves, and started collecting a stack of books.

"Do _all _those books contain demons?"

Giles distractedly replied, "What? Oh, yes in fact they do."

Why the hell are they not all burned to ashes... or thrown in the deepest trench you can find. Anything seemed more prudent than keeping the books on a shelf in a school library.

"Aha! Oh dear... "

Buffy and I simultaneously replied, "Yes?"

We quickly looked at each other, raised an eye brow again oddly in sync, and snorted loudly.

"It appears that the entity known as Moloch had broken free. This... this is terrible news."

I turned to Buffy and said, "Buffy, I know where my friends are. Where are yours?"

The girl said she just saw Xander in cafeteria but that Willow skipped some classes today and wasn't at school. The moment those words left her mouth she cottoned on to ludicrous notion of Willow skipping classes.

"Shit!"

Giles chose that moment to speak up, "If Moloch has free reign over the internet I'm not sure how to stop him. If the demon was corporeal dispatching him would be relatively simple."

Before I could suggest going to our resident techno-mage Buffy made the incredibly sensible comment that maybe the resident computer expert should help.

"Yeah, we sure could use the help of a techno-mage now."

Both Giles and Buffy looked at me oddly and I explained, "Miss Calender is a witch... did you not know this?"

"No, Nick, we did _not _know this. You know... this habit of yours to drop information like this is really starting to annoy me."

In my most bland tone of voice I said, "Sorry Buffy."

The three of us walked out of the library and headed to the computer lab to find the gypsy witch. The only thing going through my mind was 'don't tease Giles, don't tease Giles'. When we got to the computer class we found the room empty except for Andrew and Calender.

"Hey, Nick! What's up?"

"There's a demon on the loose on the internet. We need both of you to help unbind him out of it. You know... before he becomes all powerful."

"Nick says you're a techno something Witch?"

Way to waste time Buffy, one of your people is missing, you'd think she'd be more focused. Maybe she just doesn't feel the piping hot rage I'd imagine I'd go through if someone hurt what's mine.

"A techno-mage and yes I am. I think I have a ritual just for the right for the job."

While the gypsy lady gathered the supplies she needed I walked over to Drew. I just _knew _I wouldn't be able to help myself and would piss off Giles about his obvious crush.

"Drew, do you have the headband here?"

"Oh yea! You can't just put it on though; I need to help you sort through the information overload first, because we can't have your head exploding."

What.

"Wait, sorry, what? Is that something I should be concerned about?"

"Think of it as a pocket sized Cerebro, you know... the mind computer Xavier uses, that you put on for the first time. There will just be too much information and on top of that it's powered by your energy so it'll be draining you too."

"Right... lets definitely test that device extensively... on something not me."

The blond teen just laughed and said it wouldn't be a problem if we took the correct steps.

"Nick, let's go to that lab you talked about. Giles can stay here and help Miss Calender trap Moloch."

**XxXXxX**

**June 11th, 1997**

Buffy and I ran out of the school after getting Janna's guarantee that she'd be finished up before we made it to the lab. I arrived at my convertible before Buffy did... with a significant margin. That gave me enough time to arm myself for combat.

I pulled out my duster from the boot of the car, stuffed it with the shotgun and crossbow, and picked up the dagger Johnny stole for me from Denver's magic shop. It was called the 'Dagger of Clementia' and apparently what it did was confer the ability to make any and all offensive attack performed with it to be completely non-lethal. Considering the variety of human baddies around that I couldn't just get rid off without getting the Slayer pissed off at me this was a wonderful find.

The weapon was labeled a dagger when in reality the weapon was much closer in size to a short sword. Of course that was the moment when I realized I didn't have a sheath for it. I guess I'll just be holding on to it then.

Buffy arrived and once she hopped in the two of us drove off to the CRD lab. Andrew had looked up the directions for us and thankfully the place was less than ten minutes away.

"Can I see your shotgun, Nick?"

"No. Sorry."

"What! Why not?"

"I don't want to piss you off, Buffy, but it's because you do this thing."

I could feel the girls gaze piercing right through me, "What thing... ?"

"That thing where you bend other people's guns."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 032: June 11th, 1997-C*

"I wasn't going to destroy it, Nick!"

"But you still don't like guns do you, Buffy?"

The blond slayer stayed quiet for a moment but eventually spoke up.

"No, I don't. I think you know why."

"I do have my suspicions. I think you really need to talk to someone about that, Buffy. either Giles or your mother."

"I'm definitely not telling my mom! I don't want her involved in this whole mess."

The way I see it all that meant that she'd leave Joyce open for exploitation by all the creepy crawlies around Sunnydale. It certainly wasn't my place to force her into that decision though.

"Fair enough."

"Did you tell your parents?"

At this point I had been in Sunnydale for a little over a month and no one had even so much as mentioned my parents. I had just chalked it up to #$#$#$# interference but maybe the Slayer could pierce that veil.

"They aren't around enough to be in danger from the things that go bump in the night in Sunnydale."

I could tell the girl didn't really know how to reply to that. The two of us instead drifted off in a relatively comfortable silence. When we arrived at the CRD labs Buffy wanted to rush in. I briefly considered trying to convince her to think things through. Instead I decided to take advantage of her distracting the demon and his acolytes while I found an alternative entrance.

"This is the Dagger of Clementia, it is magically _unable _to kill anyone. Use it on the monsters acolytes. We don't want human bodies do we?"

"No, we don't. Good thinking, did you craft this?"

"Oh, no, I wish I could. We just procured it from a shop in LA. Anyways, you're going to make a fuss with a loud entrance. I'll swing around and try to get out with Willow before she gets hurt in the crossfire."

"Good! You need to hurry; I'll give you thirty seconds before I go in."

"Good luck, Buffy. Don't die."

I pulled out my shotgun; set it on its lowest setting, withdrew my two brass knuckle bruisers and ran as fast as I could around the building. When I got to the back entrance I saw the same set up of camera's that covered the front entrance. The array of cameras left no obvious blind spot.

Fuck.

I so dislike having competent enemies. I guess it'll be speed over stealth now I've certainly lost the advantage.

I ran a little ways from the building, turned around and sprinted as fast as I could towards it, and jumped. I used the locked gate as a ledge and flung myself towards the building's roof. Once on top of the roof, I looked around for an access point into the building, I found no way to enter the premises.

This just means I'll have to _create _an opening. It wouldn't be the first time I utterly trashed a building. I ran over to the edge of the roof, searched for a window, and walked over to the part of the roof right above the window.

I jerked my bracelet, aimed my hand downwards at an angle, and unleashed _Heat Death. _The resulting destruction was nothing at all like I imagined it to be.

All I managed to do was make a fist sized hole in the roof.

Whoops.

Not letting the silly oversight bother me overmuch I walked back to the edge over the window; kept my shotgun in one hand, used the other to hold on the edge, and swung myself down through the window.

I used one the cuts the broken glass inflicted on me to fire off a _Fortress_ and rolled back to my feet. The room was empty except for a bunch of boxes in the corner. I ran over the door, kicked at the lock, and watched in pleasure as the door exploded from its hinges.

I wasn't Slayer strong but I could definitely pack a punch.

I rushed out to the hallway, ran down its length, and followed the faintest trace of Willow's scent. I got through half the building before I met the first resistance. I guess Buffy was playing big showy distraction perfectly.

The goon that stood guard over the door looked up, drew a police baton-looking weapon and charged straight at me. I waited until the acolyte was close enough to reach me, ducked under the swing, and slammed the butt of my shotgun in his gut. The goon doubled up and I followed my hit with an elbow to the back of his head.

I stepped over his sprawling still body and kicked the door he was guarding down. Willow was tied up to a pole and under guard from two other acolytes. I quickly dismissed my _Fortress _and prepared myself to cast a _Bronze Bull_ on the one holding on to Willow. The other acolyte cautiously approached me and reached me just as I finished landing the spell on the other thug.

The minion closest to me drew a dagger and made a play at stabbing it at my stomach. I simply stepped out of his reach, cycled through the escalations of pain on the other acolyte faster than I had ever before, and kicked at the closest minion's knees. The snap of bone produced a gargled gasp from the dark garbed minion.

The man collapsed to the ground in sync with the other acolyte screaming in anguish.

Instead of dealing with the two I just jumped over the minion on the ground, landed near Willow, and _ripped _through the chains holding her. The redhead ripped the gag from her mouth; exclaimed a rushed 'thank you' which turned into a squeak when I picked the girl up and swung her over my shoulder.

I traced my steps back to the window I entered from, jumped out of the building on top of the gate, and finally landed on firm ground. I kept the girl firmly over my shoulder as I booked it to the car.

When I had the car in my sights I looked down and howled as loudly as I could, "**I have her, Buffy**."

I dropped Willow off in the backseat of my car, threw both my car-keys and crossbow at her, and told her to get the car running. I turned back and headed straight for the entrance Buffy kicked down on her into the building.

I quickly heard the sounds of a scuffle and rushed to the source of the noise. When I arrived I saw a bunch of minions moaning, sprawled over the ground. Buffy herself was busy punching the ever living shit out of Moloch's robotic body.

A body I might add was already crushed and dented beyond all repair.

I heard Buffy punctuate every punch with, "Why! Won't! You! Monsters! Leave! My! Friends! Alone!"

"Hey, Buffy? I think it is dead now. Willows safe, let's get the fuck out."

The blond girl picked up the remains of the demonic entity and threw it at the power cords that somehow got exposed during the fight. She watched for a brief moment as the remains of the creature sizzled and burned.

"Ok."

Together the two of us walked out of the building but before we reached the car I grabbed the girls arm.

"You're bleeding. Care to let me fix that?"

I certainly wasn't going to use magic on the Slayer without permission.

"You can heal the cuts?"

"It'll be as if it never happened, promise!"

I think that was the first genuine smile the girl gave me.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 033: June 11th, 1997-D*

The cuts on Buffy were fairly straight forward as sets of wounds go. I didn't need to carve any elaborate symbols on her to drain the suffering out of her. I simply grabbed some exposed skin on her arm, shallowly dipped my index finger in the biggest wound, and started the draining process with _Safe Way_.

I felt the magic working its way into the Slayer when the unimaginable happened.

Instead of feeling the wounds close up and travel through our connection straight in my pain repository there was a blockage. There was a point where the magic simply wouldn't flow. It was almost like there was a metaphysical clot clogging up the drainage system.

The clot didn't feel like it was lodged securely so I decided to try and dislodge it. I gathered a substantial amount of raw power and kept trickling it into Buffy's system. I tracked the pathways and was pleased to note I could feel the clot responding.

That was the last thing I felt before I woke up in the desert.

_Fuck._

The sun was mercilessly beating on me and I suspected I had been laying flat on my back for quite a while. That was when I noticed I was naked.

_God damn it._

I didn't have any artifacts on me, my focus was gone, and even my sexy duster disappeared. I was vaguely aware of the sunburns on me but I couldn't focus on it. I was _utterly _defenseless.

And then I was hit by a fucking freight train.

I flew through the air, landed painfully on an especially thorny bush, and desperately tried to extract myself from its unpleasant embrace. Before I could I felt a pair of hands around my throat pulling me out and throwing me over its shoulder.

The air exploded out of my lungs from the impact and before I had a chance to catch my breath _something _straddled me. The sun's glare blinded me from seeing my attackers face but I noted it was a decidedly female shape.

A primal growl escaped from the woman's throat, "Usurper."

What the fuck is going on?

My eyes finally adapted the brightness around me and I took my first good look at the lady holding me hostage between her thighs. Her face was painted black and white over her dark skin, she was wrapped in some sort of white cloth, and she held a fuck off massive bone knife at my throat.

"Usurper. I've been waiting for this moment."

I was still intensely confused and the admittedly late realization that it was the First Slayer that put me on my back certainly didn't fucking help. If the women wanted me dead I wouldn't have even noticed before I was bleeding out so I was fairly certain I had some time to think.

_Something _made me think my next words would decide my fate in Sineya's eyes. Obviously the prudent thing to do was to shut the hell up. Unfortunately for me I was... well me.

"Sineya."

The serrated bone knife dug a little deeper but still didn't cut the skin. The Primal Slayer got closer to my face, as close as a lover would, and licked the side of my face. Her face took on a confused quality; one which matched mine and was only increased when she sniffed me some more.

Her growling reply came out a little less certain, "Usurper?"

For once I wisely decided to stay quiet and see where this went. Confused was good. A lot better than that hate filled growl from earlier. I tried to convey my non-aggression to her by slowly moving my hands underneath my back. I dipped my head back a little, was exceptionally careful to not show any teeth, and whined a low squeaking noise I wasn't aware I could produce.

Thank fuck for my own Primal and its gift of understanding body language.

Sineya cocked her head slightly sideways, came closer to my face again, and settled into a staring contest with me. One which I knew I couldn't be the one to break. The key was being non-threatening; not meekly submitting to the crazed first Slayer.

I took a gamble and spoke up while we were still locked in our mutual gazing.

"I'm not an enemy."

The women didn't reply and instead softly traced my chest with her fingers. Eventually her hand settled right over me heart.

"You... "

The lady trailed off, came yet closer, and let her head rest on top of the hand she held over my heart. I wasn't sure how long she stayed in the pose but after what felt like centuries she withdrew and settled back into staring at me.

She vaguely less snarling but still confusedly asked me, "Did _they _do this _you_ too?"

My eyes must have betrayed my shock at that assumption and her entire demeanor shifted back to one of high alert aggression. She threw the bone knife off to the side and used both of her hands to firmly grasp my head in an extremely tight vice grip.

She howled loudly, "**YOU INVITED IT YOURSELF!**"

I couldn't think of anything to reply to that accusation. The Primal Slayer could so very obviously feel my own Primal and apparently deduced that it wasn't entirely involuntary.

The First Slayer continued, "**WHY?**"

If I said I wasn't filled with pants shitting terror I would be a dirty little liar. Fortunately for me I wasn't wearing any pants and probably couldn't even empty my bowels in this _realm._

I reached deep down for the vestiges remaining in me inhabited by the Primal Hyena and responded with a Hyena backed growl.

"**The Old Ones are waking. You are not enough.**"

Just as I finished saying that _shivers_ exploded all over my body. I hadn't heard from my benefactors for a while now but they certainly made their presence known. I couldn't spare any thought for them though.

Sineya froze upon hearing my reply. Her demeanor shifted back to her previous confusion and after a brief moment the lady spoke up again.

"I killed the last."

I let the Primal fall back to his corner of my mind and faced the First Slayer myself.

"Yes. No. Exiled. Returning."

Sineya let up on pressure on my head but didn't let go. After a heartbeat or two her face softened and her grasp on my face was reduced to a gentle grip. Her hands trailed back down to my heart, she bent over to my face, and the lady spoke up again surprising me immensely.

"I'm... I'm _sorry_."

I froze in utter shock. This turn of events, while not entirely unpleasant, was decidedly not how I thought it would go. Proving that a broken clock can be right twice a day I didn't speak up and waited for her to continue.

"Do not trust the Shadow Men. Their magic is tainted by the _Other_."

Sineya bent down once again and touched my forehead with hers and spoke up for a last time.

"**Wake little Pack Predator.**"

I was instantly transported back to reality, for a vague value of reality, and saw Buffy staring at me oddly.

"Nick, I guess it didn't work?"

"Oh. No. Sorry, Buffy."

I turned to Willow and said, "Willow, can you drive us back please? I feel a killer headache coming up."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 034: June 11th, 1997-E*

"How is he, Giles?"

"Physically the boy is entirely fine, Willow, but I can't even venture a guess as to what might be wrong with him."

My eyes flew open and I was greeted by the sight of Buffy hanging over my face.

"Hi. Did I fall asleep?"

Before the girl could reply I looked around and saw I was in the library; more specifically I was on an air mattress in Giles office. The last thing I remembered was telling Willow to drive. I guess that was an excellent idea.

"Yes you did. We were worried about you, Nick!"

I tried to get up but Buffy used some of her silly Slayer super-strength to keep to me firmly horizontal.

"Relax, Nick, you were out for a few hours. How are you feeling?"

"I... uhh. Did you _carry _me out of my car, Buffy?"

The blond slayer frowned a little but soon after starting laughing a deep throaty laugh.

"Figures you would hone in on that part. Can't handle a strong woman? And don't think I don't notice you dodging the subject!"

I briefly thought back to the way Sineya manhandled me, so terrifyingly easy, but there wasn't a force on this world that would make me admit that to Buffy. That feeling lasted for about two seconds before I realized I _couldn't_ keep this from Giles. I needed answers.

"I've had my fill of them today." I turned to Giles and continued, "Killer vision, Mr. Watcher. Why don't you tell me about the Shadow Men and what they did to Sineya?"

The man did his best impression of a statue and I was fairly certain the librarian was desperately trying to come with a way to tell me as little as possible.

I needed to pre-empt that, "Mr. Giles. I'll be very clear; I doubt you'll tell me everything you know about this, which means I'll have to _cheat._ Please don't make me."

The librarian was many things but slow on the uptake would never be one of them. His gaze flashed over to Buffy and I could tell he understood exactly what I was talking about.

"Buffy, Xander, Willow... Could you three give us some time alone, Nick and I need to discuss this in private, I'll explain later, as much as I can."

The three of them certainly didn't go quietly but once Giles promised he'd tell them as much as he could, after pointedly looking at me, about my vision as he could. They obviously took the wrong conclusions from that but beyond Willow putting things together I doubt they'd be much trouble.

Giles sighed deeply and said, "I must admit that particular subject isn't one of our organizations finest moments. Regardless of my personal feelings or even any moral objections I must ask you; what would you have done in their position?"

I pushed myself off the ground, fell back from dizziness, and settled for sitting on my haunches.

I look Giles straight in the eyes and evenly replied, "Whatever it took. I do notice though, Mr. Giles, that they certainly didn't volunteer themselves. What was stopping them?"

The man hissed as if in pain, started fiddling with his glasses, and settled into a contemplative gaze.

"I... I don't know."

"So the obvious strategy was what? Kidnap a girl and force a fucking _Shadow Demon _in her? Sacrifice her humanity?"

I didn't stop and only barely managed to keep my voice to a frustrated whisper. "They didn't even fucking guide her! God damn it Giles, she was all alone, and she fought a fucking Old One."

The librarian seemed to age decades before my eyes but eventually managed to rally and croak out.

"I am well and truly aware of our shameful past, Nick. When you have an organization as old as the Watcher Council... what I'm trying to say is that I still believe that over the years the Council has done more good than evil."

I took a deep breath and a short moment to collect my thoughts. I was much more affected by that short interaction with Sineya than I thought. I wasn't quite sure why I felt this strongly or if it was bubbling in the background ever since I got here. It certainly wouldn't help the millennia dead girl and pushing Giles to acknowledge the Council can be wrong was already a minor victory.

"I'm sure the Catholic Church uses that same argument, Giles, but I'm not interested in assigning blame. I'd like for you tell me about the Shadow Men and the earliest days of the Slayer Lineage. Failing that; directions to any and all unedited books would be lovely."

"There is very little known about the Shadow Men that isn't in the deepest and darkest vaults of the Watcher Council. I know about them in the broad strokes. They were three extremely powerful African Shamans who tried desperately to protect their people from the Primals assaulting them. You think they sacrificed the First Slayer but she was not the only one to pay the price. I will concede she did so involuntarily but so did the immediate and extended families of the Shadow Men."

The librarian sighed, stood up and walked over to his liquor cabinet, and poured himself a glass of scotch. When he was done pouring I extended my magic, enveloped the glass with my power, and carefully dragged it my way when he turned to put the bottle away.

I downed the pleasantly burning drink and belatedly noted that it was of rather good quality. When Giles turned around to see me holding his glass he did his British tut-tut sound. He didn't call me out on it though and just pulled out another glass for himself.

"Are you saying the Shadow Men _knew _what the consequences would be?"

"Yes. Yes I am. I... I don't believe they had the right to make that choice. I _know _I wouldn't have the strength to make that choice but they lived in a different time. In an entire different world if we're being honest. It was a world where nothing and nowhere was safe. It was a world in which we were regarded as bugs at best, to toy with for our entertainment value, and as prey at worst."

I would have gotten up ro shake the man if I didn't think he was just letting his emotions get the better of him. We certainly _hadn't _progressed beyond that point. Humanity was _still_ prey. Instead I settled for hearing the man out.

"The price these men paid was the loss of _anything_ with any value to them. In exchange for that they got the _privilege_ of signing over their entire lives along with the lives of each of their future descendants. They were charged to _replace_ their old families with new blood; to accept others from tribes alien, hateful or otherwise unpalatable to them in their hearts as their sons and apprentices."

Giles poured himself another glass and took a sip or two before he pulled himself together enough to continue.

"Beyond that we only have circumstantial evidence which is locked up tightly. Were you _aware _there are supposedly unedited books and carvings?"

"I took an educated guess. What do you reckon would persuade the Council to share those books?"

"I fear very little, Nick. They certainly wouldn't paint the Watchers in a great light and only the highest echelon of Council leadership has access to them."

"Ok. I think I _understand. _I don't think I'll accept it but I do understand. What can you tell me of Sineya herself? I feel compelled to know about her life."

"I will of course, Nick, but might I inquire as to the reason for that compulsion?"

"She told me she was sorry, Giles."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 035: June 11th, 1997-F*

Giles and I spoke about the First Slayer's life at length. He told me about her Proto-Bantu roots in West Africa, about her disastrous exiling from her tribe, and the few pieces of information known about her travels.

Sineya managed to slay the last Old One who still roamed the earth, fought the avatars of Primals, and eventually died alone after dragging her failing body to the spot where the Shadow Men stole her humanity from her.

Beyond that the man simply didn't know anything else. I wasn't likely to find out any time soon either unless I could somehow learn to mind read and kidnap Travers. If I remembered the name of the demon whose blood let me do that... it might actually even be feasible.

When the two of us exited the librarians' office we were immediately accosted by the 'Scooby Gang'. Buffy was understandably vocal about extracting as much information from Giles as she could but Xander surprised me by asking to speak with me, alone.

"Sure, Xander, lead the way."

We just reached the nearest empty staircase when Xander spoke up.

"I spoke with Jonathan... he said you had him and Andrew practicing with crossbows?"

Interesting.

"Yes I did. I didn't want my friends to be defenseless."

I certainly wasn't going to make this easy for Xander. He'd have to specifically ask me what he so obviously wants.

"How did it go?"

"Johnny has gotten good. I mean really, really, good."

In fact; I suspect the boy augments his shots with a touch of telekinesis but I wasn't planning on sharing that tidbit with anyone.

"Drew is getting better but he seems to be settling better into his magical studies. Why?"

The tall teenager clearly wasn't used to asking for help but it just felt important to let him take this step by himself. Perhaps because I didn't want to piss of Buffy by poaching her people but more likely was the thought that I wasn't interesting in helping someone who wouldn't go all out.

"Do you think? I mean... can I join in on that?"

I flashed the boy my 1000watt smile and said, "Hell yes. There are a handful of conditions though."

"Shoot away!"

"The first is simple. You'll join us on our afternoon runs and workouts."

"Uhh. How often would this be?"

"That would be every other day, Xander. Is that a problem?"

"No! Not at all. Guess we'll be sweaty a lot then huh?"

I ignored the feeble attempt at humor and continued, "The second is more difficult. You _will _remember you are squishy and tasty to the nightlife of Sunnydale. There will be no _heroics_. No dramatic one liners, no showboating, when I decide you're ready to come out with me we do this as professionally as possible."

"What do you mean?"

"For example; if we find a nest of vampires... we'll be firebombing the place followed by picking off the stragglers that make it out the building from a distance."

"But... what abou-"

I thought I knew where he was going with that but still cut him off. I needed his mind focused on what baseline humans could do and more importantly _not _do.

"We _aren't _Slayers. We don't have the stupidity inducing instincts that make us want to close in with the creepy crawlies. I have no interest in having to stake you if you forget this, Xander."

That certainly got the boys attention. Just to be safe I continued.

"If you repeat those words to Buffy I will make you eat them."

He laughed goodheartedly and promised to not share... overmuch.

"Which brings us to the last condition... you stop patrolling with Buffy, for a while at the least. The only thing worse than an untrained crossbowman is one that has a _little _training and promptly dies from an overabundance of enthusiasm. Even worse is when they inevitably injure a teammate."

The teenager froze and turned contemplative for a while. I let him have his moment of introspection. After a solid three minutes the boy looked up and said he needed to think about it.

I nodded and said, "Good. That means you're taking this seriously."

The two of us reached the library I was hit by the stench of death and pigs blood.

Joy of joys, Angel is around.

I cautiously said, "Hello, Liam."

The grumpy leech replied, "Nick."

The realization that I killed his sire the day before hit me the moment I heard the man's voice. I was perfectly aware of my less than entirely amiable relationship with the man. I didn't especially need him to like me but extending some courtesy in favor for a better understanding between us wouldn't be out of place.

"Did you hear about Darla?"

The handsome half breed cocked his head slightly to the left and said, "I have."

"I wanted to say... that I'm sorry for whatever grief that might have caused you. I'm not saying I wouldn't have done it all over again in a heartbeat but... you know. I get that it might be _complicated._"

It suddenly became quiet all around. I looked around and saw nothing but confusion on the faces of the extended 'Scooby Gang'.

Crap. Didn't they know she was Angel's sire?

Angel slowly replied, "Thank you. It has been."

In a moment of utter surprise the man continued, "You saved me from having to do it myself. I... I appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

The awkwardness hung in the air until Buffy decided she needed to know more.

"What do you mean?"

I looked over to Angel, then to Giles, and afterwards started inspecting my shoes. What I had planned next would be much more effective if it came from Angel himself.

When Buffy pushed the undead man some more but he eventually cracked and started explaining.

"Darla _made _me. She is... was my sire. Killing her wouldn't have been pleasant but entirely necessary."

"Oh."

Hopefully the blond Slayer would come to the right conclusions. I wasn't certain though... Angel certainly neatly sidestepped the 'we were lovers for well over a century and a half' part. That would have certainly put her place in his life in greater... perspective.

At that moment my duster started crackling with static. I rushed over, pulled out my walky-talky, and confirmed I was able to talk.

"Ola, Bravo."

"Salve, Omega."

"What's up Andrew?"

"What do you mean what's up! You were supposed to be here an hour ago. We're all kinda worried about you!"

Oh fuck. I was planning on inviting Amy to my house for some magical exploration. I guess my involuntary nap put a stop to that.

"Ah, sorry! Willow was kidnapped earlier. I helped Buffy get her but something happened and I passed out for a while. I'm fine now though."

"Good! I'll let the others know."

"Uhh. Who are the others?"

"Johnathan, Uncle Bob and Amy."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 036: June 11th, 1997-G*

"Oh. Ok. Let me finish up here and I'll be over in a little bit."

"No! I mean... we can't wait, Nick! Things are _so _awkward here!"

"What?"

"Uncle Bob and Amy have been in a screaming match for half an hour. Then it died down for a little while only for them to start back up again! Now she's been crying for the past ten minutes and Uncle Bob is just sitting there _laughing_!"

Wow.

"Right... I'll be over in fifteen. Make the girl some tea and take her to my study."

"Got it! Bravo, over!"

"Omega, over."

I took a deep breath, looked around, and saw everything desperately struggling to not pry. I should have known that couldn't last.

"Need to babysit your friends, Nick?"

"Ha ha, Xander. Anyways, Buffy, sorry I can't come patrolling tonight. I kinda need to deal with this."

Buffy waved my concerns off and implied she'd like some time alone with Angel anyways. Whether this was good or bad for her would have to be seen later.

"Willow, any chance you have some free time tomorrow?"

"Uhh, yes, I do."

"Andrew is writing several programs we need. Could you help him with that?"

"Oh! Yes! Err... what kind of programs?"

"The kind that _do _stuff; I'm really not sure."

"I'm sure I can do that! Not that I can do _everything _but... you know... computers are my thing! Not that they are the only thing I-"

I definitely needed to cut into the girl's ramblings if I was going to make it home before my house was burned to the ground.

"Thank Willow! I'll tell Drew to contact you with the details. I'll leave the walky-talkie with you."

I turned back to Buffy and said, "Buffy, walk with me to my car please."

"Worried you'll pass out before you make it? Angel and I can come with you know."

"That's really sweet Buffy but I just need to tell you something."

Giles flashed me a vaguely betrayed look but I set the man at ease with a quick smile. Or maybe that just worried him some more. Who knows?

"Oh, ok."

"Stay frosty, Liam."

Watching the unfairly handsome vampire crinkle up his face with confusion was a little lighthearted fun. His awkward reply was fairly amusing as well.

"You too?"

Buffy waited until we left the library before she slapped on me on the arm. Apparently I had shown sufficient strength for the girl to not be bothered about applying her Slayer power. I stumbled a little before I asked her in an affected pained voice why did she that.

"Stop messing with Angel!"

"Oh, can't do that."

"Why!"

"The stick up his bum needs to be extracted. I know you can still hear me Liam!"

The girl looked like she was deciding between being amused or affronted. Eventually she just settled into wearing an odd smile.

"So... what's up?"

"Xander asked me if he could train with my boys."

"Your boys? You mean Andrew and Jonathan?"

"Sure."

"Why are you telling me? Not... that it isn't odd you refer to your friends as yours or anything... but I don't own Xander."

I stopped moving, turned towards Buffy, and simply raised an eyebrow.

"Really Buffy?"

"What!"

"Come on, girl. I think you know damn well what I mean."

The blond Slayer blushed but continued playing dumb.

"I have no idea what you mean."

"Fine. Xander joining Drew and Johnny in their training comes with certain strings attached. One of them is that he stops coming along with your Slayage; at the very least until he reaches a certain standard of proficiency."

The girl remained quiet for a moment or two while we walked onwards to my car. She still had a blush when she eventually spoke up.

"Ok. I can see why you don't want someone untrained with me. Between you and Angel we have things pretty well covered. I still don't see why you're coming to me with this."

"Because Buffy... Xander would pretty much follow you to hell and back. He'll see this as letting you down."

"Oh."

"Yeah... That's why I'd like for you to frame it as a request from you. Tell him he'll be marginally more difficult to kill if he goes through the training efforts if it makes him feel better."

"I see."

"From what I gather... he'll be involved in this mess regardless. Especially considering what happened to his friend Jesse. I'd like for him to stand a chance of making it through all this. The fact that we might _need _his help soon isn't lost on me either."

"I lost you again."

"Things will heat up soon around Sunnydale. This Master character is seriously bad news. You should ask Liam about his grandfather later."

"What!"

"That's not the point right now. There's a prophecy about this vampire and well... you. I'm not sure how to tell you this so before we get to it... please remember I'm basically a professional prophecy breaker."

"It's bad news."

"Yes. The Pergamum Codex speaks of a confrontation between you and the Master; one where you supposedly die at the hands of the Master."

"Oh."

"Don't worry though. I know how to break it. Should my ideas however not work... worst case scenario we send you far fucking away for a holiday while I rig the bastard's hideout with enough explosives to kill a minor godling."

The girl snorted and replied, "That's nice, Nick, but I won't run."

I turned back to the girl and grabbed her by the shoulders. "The Master needs your blood to escape the sunken church he exiled himself to. You are under no circumstances to go near it. This has _nothing _to do with your strength or your duties as a Slayer. This is about stopping an apocalypse we can fairly safely _ignore _if you _don't _go for the direct confrontation."

"How do you know all of this?"

We'd finally reached the parking spot I left my car when I replied, "I'm vision boy, Buffy. Beyond that... I guess the plan is we start killing vampires. We make a big fucking fuss in the local demon underworld and make it clear that we're hunting specifically for members of the Order of Aurelius."

"I'm guessing those are this Master's troops?"

"Right in one! If the big guy himself is stuck in his church and the local demons fear us more than his impotent rage... well. Prophecy neatly made pointless!"

The girl snorted again and smiled a shaky smile.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Don't be too pissed at Giles for not telling you about the prophecy."

"I won't."

"Good night, Buffy."

"Night, Nick."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 037: June 11th, 1997-H*

"Oh thank god you're here!"

I had barely finished parking my car when Drew exploded out of my house to drag me to it.

"Is it that bad?"

Instead of replying Drew simply pulled me along. When I walked through the door I saw Uncle Bob and Johnny locked into a stare-off. The pent up tense atmosphere assaulted my senses together with the sniffling I could hear Amy doing in my study on the first floor.

"Right. Someone better start talking. Now."

Uncle Bob in a clipped but calm voice said, "Don't you take that tone with me, boy."

How the fuck did things end up this badly? I surprisingly found I didn't care very much. Every single one of my instincts was _screaming _at me to back up and support my people. I took a deep breath and shifted into a more aggressive posture.

Calling on the vestiges of my Primal I spoke up.

"**You're in **_**my**_** dominion, instructor. I'll do whatever I see fit and both of us will have to accept the **_**consequences**_."

The middle aged warlock finally looked away from Jonathan and focused on me. I could feel the man pulling in power from his surroundings and hastened to do so myself. Andrew appeared slightly off to my left and pointed his new crossbow prototype at Uncle Bob. Jonathan called on his own power reserves and inched just far away from Uncle Bob to give me a clear line of sight.

The air in my living room cracked and popped with sheer _potential_. Whether that potential would end up being harnessed for the reason I had invited all of them or if it would lead to a magical brawl was still to be seen.

Uncle Bob kept his power on a tight leash and appeared to not funnel it into a spell construct. That meant there was still a chance this could be salvaged but I wasn't sure how much I actually wanted that. Something in me _desperately _wanted this settled. To struggle with all my might against my mentor and see who would come up on top. The next move was to set the tone for the conflict.

After what appeared like hours Uncle Bob finally spoke up.

"Your pets have _offended _me."

Great... I knew I needed Uncle Bob for my future magical studies. I was however also intensely aware of his connection to my patrons and knew he _couldn't _afford to simply drop me. That certainly did not mean he _wouldn't _be extracting a price. One I might not be able to deny.

Still keeping my Primal close to the surface I replied, "**Do you believe they acted in malice?**"

The power I had been drawing saturated me entirely. The magic felt intoxicating and it yearned to be applied. Keeping control over it while maintaining my outward calm was the hardest thing I ever had to do. To make matters worse I felt more then I saw Amy peeking out from the top of the stairs.

Yet another unknown variable...

Uncle Bob's dangerously calm voice spoke up again, "I have inflicted worse for less."

Right...

That line of thought was simply unacceptable. Uncle Bob was not daft enough to continue threatening me while he could certainly feel the Primal settling in for a dominance struggle. Before replying I snarled a deep but soft growl. I had inflected it with just enough power to raise the hairs on everyone's arms.

Without any conscience thought I spat out, "**Irrelevant.**"

My instructors eyes flashed dangerously but he didn't reply nor outright attack. The seconds dragged out before Uncle Bob deigned to speak again.

"_Someone _will suffer for this, Nicolas."

This raised the hairs on my everywhere... Uncle Bob had _never _used my name before. I needed to know what had happened to settle this. The problem was that I could not ask for clarification without backing off. The moment I did back off I knew Uncle Bob would extract his vengeance without a second thought.

Instead I reacted as I always do when I feel trapped.

I lashed out with a snarled, "**I agree.**"

Uncle Bob's eyebrow went up high enough to almost hide the man's receding hairline. Clearly he expected me to offer up myself... or perhaps he simply thought I'd try to talk my way out of this.

I simply _couldn't_.

The man challenged me in my own home. He then proceeded to prepare for battle. Afterwards he threatened what's mine. If he didn't know he was setting off every single check on my list... I'd _teach_ him.

The proprietor stood up slowly and averted his gaze. When he eventually looked up again he locked eyes with me while he let his magic slowly dissipate. I knew he wanted me to mimic him, in an effort to reduce the tension, but again... I simply _couldn't_.

I could tell this finally disturbed the man. I still didn't understand why he reacted the way he did but I blamed myself. I let the wolf in to teach my little lambs how to play at being predators.

"Pax."

Finally he gave me something to work with that would not end the night in an orgy of violence. I slowly stepped to side, allowing for Andrew to anticipate and move with me, and turned sideways towards Uncle Bob. The meaning of my gesture was incredibly clear to me but I didn't feel like risking Uncle Bob not understanding.

I slowly raised my hand and pointed towards the door while at the same I slightly reduced the power I had under my disposal. The meaning was now as clear as I could possible make it...

_Get the fuck out of my home._

The seconds lingered for moment before Uncle Bob finally took the hint, released the last hold he had over his reserves completely, and walked ever so slowly towards the door. He passed me without comment but when he reached the entrance to open the door I spoke up.

I pulled up more of the Primal than I had ever dared and growled out with maximum menace.

"**There is a dissonance Uncle Bob, between what you know to be true, and what you will be made aware of should you threaten what's mine**."

The man turned when I started speaking, looked slightly troubled as I spoke, and eventually settled into a pained grimace. I hoped he understood why I was doing what I did... because I did not feel like having to go through this mess again.

The man nodded slowly and spoke up for the last time before walking out of the door, "Pax."

A full minute after he left and I couldn't hear his car anymore Jonathan collapsed to the ground. I cleared the distance in less than two steps and caught the boy.

The strain of holding all that magic was too much for him and I helped siphon off as much as I could for by slightly cutting up the back of his hand with a nearby knife. I drained everything I could and when the lad seemed to stabilize I spoke up.

"Well done, Johnny." I turned to Andrew and said, "You too, Drew. Amy, you come down here."

I waved away their stammered replies and when Amy sat down on my couch I asked the million dollar question.

"How about you all tell me what happened?"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 038: June 11th, 1997-I*

Jonathan blushingly answered, "I couldn't sit by and let him to talk to her like that!"

Well damn. I was pleased the boy finally found his backbone but did the first person he talked back to have to be my instructor?

"I get that, I do, but this is bad."

Amy made her presence know, "You scared him off. What's the problem?"

I snapped towards Amy and something of my incredulity must have shown on my face. The foolish girl had no clue what just transpired.

"Amy. I did not scare him off. I forced him to choose between _killing _me and backing off on his own accord. Let's not pretend I could have won that encounter." I sighed and continued, "He called your mother a spiritual whore for demonic entities. There is no denying this is true."

The girl tried to defend her mother but I cut her off before she could get started.

"Be quiet and let me finish! His problem was with your mother and to a lesser extent with you."

The girl flinched but spoke up again, "I-I don't understand. I never did anything to him! He said I had _her_ same sickness but he wouldn't even explain!"

I took a deep breath and found I still wasn't entirely calmed down. Another three deep inhalations did the trick just fine though.

I pointed at Johnny and said, "I want both you and Andrew to give me some alone time with Amy."

Andrew snapped to and dragged Jonathan away when he showed some slight hesitation in obeying my rather loosely issued order. When I heard them lock the door to the basement after they went through it I turned to Amy.

"Amy. What did you feel when the air was positively saturated with magic?"

The blond cheerleader looked confused for a moment but rallied to give me the answer I demanded of her.

"Amazing, really you should totally teach me how to do that, I've never felt power like that! Not even whe-."

The girl had forcibly cut herself off, her face contorted with fright like a deer caught in the headlights of oncoming traffic, and simply trailed off. I thought I knew what she was hiding but I could get to that juicy subject later.

"That's the problem. If I asked Drew what he felt... how do you think he would reply?"

Amy scoffed under her breath but said, "Probably that he was _this _close to shitting his pants."

She must have caught the angry cast of my face because she almost immediately tried to take it back. I didn't let her though.

Quietly seething, I studiously kept my voice even as I replied, "Amy. I just threatened the most powerful and dangerous individual I know. What do you think I'd do to _you_?"

The blond girl gulped and tried to scuttle as far away from me as she could but before she got far I grabbed her by the arm.

"Andrew's response is the only reasonable one you should feel. Magic is _not _a toy. Magic is not something you use to make you feel 'amazing'."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. I want to be able to defend myself, Nick. My mom... she was scary and evil but she had _power_. No-one messed with her."

"Uncle Bob did. I did. Hell, Buffy could take her apart. Her ambition was to be a fucking cheerleader. Is that the extent of what you hope to reach with magic? Because that is simply pathetic..."

"No! I just... why can't I enjoy magic? It makes me _better _than everyone else. All those blind people stumbling around utterly clueless to the _power_ around them... I'm better than them!"

I settled into glaring at the girl and watched as she tried to fidget around. She tried to pry my hand from her arm but gave up when she couldn't so much as pry a single finger loose.

"You're hurting me!"

I completely ignored the girl's exclamation, "Magic is humanities last line of defense against the assorted threats that we face. Magic is why we survived up until now. Magic is why humanity isn't enslaved chattel on Earth like we are in so very _many _other dimensions. It doesn't make us better... it makes us _just _strong enough to survive and we _owe _everything to the legions of **HEROES **who carved out this world for us."

I could tell I wasn't reaching the girl in the slightest. She simply did not care.

"You can be all high brow because you have a scary bad-ass master teaching you! I'm all alone here!"

"So I'm guessing rightly then that Rack does not count for you?"

The girl's eyes widened in shock and she did the most pathetic impression of a goldfish imaginable.

"H-how do- No... I mean... what are you talking about?"

"Why do you feel the need to hide who exactly taught you to disrespect magic?"

"I-I don't know what-."

I interrupted the girl this time with a contemptuous laugh.

"Did you or did you not give up your magic to the black magician for an illusionary power boost?"

"It's not fake! It's real and I can _feel _it coursing through me body! You're just trying to _limit _me! To cripple me like Rack said you uptight traditional types do! I thought you were going to be cool about this... "

"What amazing magics have you cast with it?"

"I... "

"I've developed a powerful blast that _eviscerates _everything it touches. I've made a spell that inflicts pain so intense a hundred years in a hell dimension wouldn't even compare. What _great _magics, Amy, have you made with your illusionary strength?"

The girl fell quiet but tried to match the intensity in my gaze when she eventually replied.

"I've only been doing this for six months... you can't expect-."

This time I simply laughed at the sheer absurdity of that claim.

"I've been working at magic for a month and a day now, Amy. The magic you felt the air _pales_ in comparison to the powerful forces I have tangled with together my mentor. The very mentor I now need to grovel and very likely make amends with... I can assure you he will make me _suffer_ for it."

"But... "

"Uncle Bob despises you because he can positively taste your insecurity. He thinks you are empty inside, Amy, entirely empty where you should have been filled with a desire for life if not love."

Tears were starting to appear in her eyes but I knew I couldn't let up. Either the girl breaks to my will or I'm dumping her back to Rack's graces. There is only so much I can take and allowing someone like her to influence Johnny would set his progress back. Way back.

"He might be wrong and I am entirely willing to find out, Amy. However you _will _understand the price of magic before we teach you a thing. You _will _cease your contact with Rack. You will _not _so much as open a book on magics without my say so."

"Or... are you going to threaten me too?"

"Or I'll let you walk out that door. I'll let you walk out and watch gleefully as you eventually realize you disdained the power of a warlock for the emptiness of a black mage. In short, Amy, I will leave you as I found you."

Her tears came rapidly after that.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 039: June 12th, 1997-A*

I left my car after just having parked it at the lot near Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet. Yesterday's confrontation weighed heavily on my mind. Despite knowing myself to be in the right in the conflict... I would very likely be forced to apologize profusely.

I needed Uncle Bob a hell of a lot more than he needed me. Counting on my nebulous patron's support struck me as utterly foolish. While Uncle Bob certainly took me on under duress I would like to believe he did come to grow fond of me.

Perhaps I was simply deluding myself. It was a pleasant thought regardless.

But now I needed to get off my ass and get to kissing Uncle Bob's. I walked through the entrance to the shop when I was almost immediately met by Uncle Bob. The man crossed his arms, raised his eyebrow, and seemed to settle in for a show.

"I came to make things right, sir."

The middle aged warlock smirked and replied, "I thought you were to here to elucidate me about certain matters?"

"I already have, Robert."

The smirk fell off the man's face.

"Oh?"

This time I crossed my arms across my chest and replied, "I am entirely unreasonable when my people are in danger."

"This does not resemble any type of apology I'm aware of, Nicolas."

"We'll get to that, sir. A blanket apology is pointless if we still remain at risk of repeating the errors of judgment in question."

"So you're anticipating disrespecting me _again_?"

"Should we find ourselves in the same positions again I find it likely enough, sir. Which is why I believe we need to establish why the events of yesterday unfolded the way they did."

Instead of replying the warlock flicked his wrist and I was lifted off my feet by an invisible and constricting force. Uncle Bob was channeling a substantial amount of unstructured power to keep me immobile against the ceiling.

The warlock used his dangerously calm tone of voice again to say, "Do not take me for a fool, Nicolas."

The power that affixed me to the ceiling kept me from moving about but it didn't prevent me from using my arms. I pulled the left sleeve of my shirt back to show Uncle Bob I wasn't carrying my foci. My bracelet was currently burning a hole in my back-pocket. I was here on a reconciliation mission... not a suicide one.

"You came here defenseless... is this supposed to appeal to my better self?"

Abruptly the power stopped humming all around me and I plummeted to the ground. My enhanced reflexes kept me from falling on my face but the impact still wasn't pleasant.

"It appears _you _aren't aware of my lack of a better self, Nicolas. You are right in the sense that your pretty words are not going to save you, boy. Put your foci on and follow me."

I pushed off the ground and walked after the man after arming myself. Uncle Bob picked up an oddly shaped crystal when he walked past the counter and threw it at me. I recognized the little bauble for what it was and desperately tried to not let that fact show on my. I caught the crystal, looked over at Uncle Bob, and saw he was pointing at the basement.

I attempted to speak up but Uncle Bob cut me off rather swiftly.

"I have no patience for your pretty words, silver tongue. I told you someone would suffer and you agreed. Now, pick up a weapon and go to the basement, _when_ you make it out of there we will _never _speak of this again."

Next to the door that led to basement was a collection of dusty weapons that obviously hadn't seen much use in the past decade. I picked up a few to see how they felt in my hands. The sword was clearly out; even I knew that an untrained swordsman is more likely to cut himself then an enemy. Instead I selected a simple double edged axe that just felt amazing to swing. I could almost lose myself in the heady feeling of imagining myself to be a barbarian warrior when I heard a cough.

I got the hint and walked through the basement's door. When I made it down the stairs the world slightly _shifted _and the crystal began glowing. I quickly reached inside my pocket, took out Andrews ear buds, and put on the sunglasses I fished out of them.

When the crystal grew too hot to hold I gently laid it down on the ground in the corner, readied the biggest and most unstable _Flash Bang _I could, and waited for the crystal to explode.

A quick flash later and the cellar rumbled as if in an earthquake.

"**I'm free! Haha!**"

I lobbed the magical grenade at the Troll God Olaf in front of me and watched with pleasure as the troll bellowed in rage, dropped his hammer, and grabbed for its head. I crossed the distance in two steps, swung the axe with all my strength at the trolls head, and was rewarded with the crunching sound its skull made.

Before the troll's body hit the ground the world _shifted _again and I found myself at top of the stairs again.

_Oh, god._

The little crystal glowed brightly in my hand and the accompanying shake of the cellar nearly threw me off the stairs. I must have reacted too slowly because the next thing I heard was the troll's triumphant exclamation behind me.

"**I'm free! Haha!**"

I turned around and swung the axe at the troll's generous belly. I felt the axe hit the troll's armor. Olaf still hollered in pain but recovered enough to casually slap me off the stairs.

"**I, Olaf, will make you bleed puny human!**"

The Troll God launched himself after me, raised his hammer over his head, and came crashing right at me. I managed to push myself off to the side, jumped on top of a desk, turned and cast a quick _Fortress_. An instant after the spell finished I felt the impact of the hammer on my shoulder.

The blow was utterly disorienting despite not managing to do any significant damage. I retaliated with a kick at Olaf's face which only seemed to piss the troll off more. When the hammer came at me again I jumped over Olaf's head, landed behind him, and swung my axe in a swiping movement at the troll's knees.

The accompanying crack of bone and bellow of the troll invigorated me. I jumped back out of the creatures reach, saw the hammer swing closely to my face, and closed the distance again to deliver a kick to the troll's balls.

The satisfying crunch was my cue to duck down, I rolled between the creature's knees, and pulled _up _at the one I didn't hurt from behind the troll. I knew the troll likely outweighed me by about a tanker or so... which meant that all I could do was hope his other knee fucked up its balance. Olaf did indeed wobble but recovered enough to swing around and grab me by the throat.

"**You will suffer, you oddly smelling human, mark my words!**"

Olaf followed up his ominous words with a hit to my gut with the head of his hammer. The air was promptly knocked out of my lungs and Olaf's follow up hit to my knee threw me clear across the room.

I tried to stand up despite the knee, felt it wobble under me, and collapse as it couldn't support me. The accompanying crunch wasn't as satisfying to hear as the one I inflicted but I did make use of the bone sticking out of my skin. The _Heat Death _I cast hit Olaf in the throat just as he charged towards me again.

Immediately after I had connected with my entropy curse I settled in for an extended _Bank Safe. _I felt the knee knit itself together as I was transported again to the top of the stairs.

"**I'm free! Haha!**"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 040: June 12th, 1997-B*

Olaf and I were on our twelfth go around the fucking time trap. So far I tried beheading the troll, killing it with _Heat Death_ in different spots, throwing it through the door and burning through Olaf's heart with my blood.

Incidentally... a troll's heart is in its stomach. The things you learn from dismembering something over and over...

"**I'm free! Haha!**"

"Fuck this!"

"**Puny human! You are a far cry from my usual wenches! You needn't worry for your virtue, you oddly smelling human!"**

What.

I growled at maximum Primal strength, "**Why won't you just fucking stay dead!**"

Olaf affected an offended look but I interrupted whatever reply he was about to make with an axe to his groin. Before my weapon connected the Troll God managed to swipe it out my grip. I decided against chasing the axe, cast a _Fortress_, and readied myself for a more _direct _brawl.

When Olaf swung his massive hammer at me I ducked; rolled forward towards the troll, jumped up and grabbed his head, and used my forward momentum to swing myself over his head. The Troll God stumbled backwards but when my feet touched the ground I managed to leverage myself _just _enough to snap his neck.

"**I'm free! Haha!**"

"Right... this time you die slow you utter fuck."

"**You dare puny mortal! I, Olaf, will**-."

I closed the distance towards the troll, sidestepped his predictable hammer swing while casting a _Fortress_, and cut with my axe through Olaf's lower leg. I continued past the troll and watched as the creature fell to his knees. I ignored the troll's screams and jumped over its head. When I landed I swung my axe as hard as I could and removed the hand holding Olaf's hammer.

"**Ahh!**"

I stepped back to admire my handiwork and prepared myself to cast a_ Bronze Bull_ at the creature. I leisurely cycled through the settings when it hit and watched as the Troll God lay twitching before me. In its distracted state it didn't notice my closing in to extract another piece of its body. This time I took the trolls other hand just above the wrist.

The creature's roar was deafening but I had heard it so many times now the sound became meaningless. I stepped over the still twitching troll and positioned myself to cut at last remaining foot. In short order I had added another piece of troll extremity to my growing collection.

I pulled out a chair and simply sat down for a moment. _Bank Safe _was running while I considered my options. Breaking the enchantment on the room simply wasn't going to happen from within the spell boundaries. Walking back out of the door only accomplished a reset of time loop and nothing in my spell repertoire would help me deal with this.

If Uncle Bob's goal was frustrating the ever living fuck out of me the bastard was succeeding far too well.

I walked over to troll, sat on its chest, and started working some of my frustration off.

Punch, "Fuck."

Punch, "You."

Punch, "Uncle."

Punch, "Bob."

Punch, "You."

Punch, "Utter."

Punch, "Bastard."

"**I'm free! Haha!**"

Clearly beating the creature to death with my bare fists didn't break the cycle. Perhaps I should give non violent means a chance. My hopes weren't very high on that front though...

"Olaf. I have freed you. Want to go hunting for witches?"

"**Oddly smelling human, you have my thanks; yet I do not suffer mortal hunting companions!**"

I growled out my reply, "**Are you saying I'm not **_**good **_**enough for you Olaf?**"

"**What do puny humans know about the majesty of the hunt? Freeing me from my hellish imprisonment merely buys you your life, oddly smelling human.**"

I exploded into action, rushed past the started Troll God, turned and swung my axe at the predictable counter strike. This time I managed to snag the greater part of the troll's hammer arm with me. I didn't give Olaf any time to recover and simply barreled into the bastard. A quick _Fortress_ and a handful of cuts later and I had the troll whimpered on the receiving end of a _Bronze Bull _again. I kept the pain levels just low enough to keep Olaf from being unable to focus on my words.

"**Tell me I stink, Olaf, one more time.**"

**"I WILL PILLAGE AND RAMPAGE ACROSS ALL YOU HOLD DEAR ODDLY SMELLING HUMAN!**"

The bastard had balls the size of Berlin.

I set my incantation to the highest possible setting and sank to my knees. Obviously killing the troll wasn't what was going to get me out this. The thought that Uncle Bob was subtle enough to give me a big fucking distraction in the form of a _Troll God_ implied terrible things about the man.

I walked over the troll's hammer and decided to study it for bit. From my recollections of the show... this hammer should give whoever wields it a considerable power boost. It made a Slayer somehow strong enough to face and brutalize a goddamned hell deity. I tried picking up the weapon but immediately became aware I couldn't manage that with a single hand.

Dropping my axe, I bent down and held the hammer with both of my hands, and yanked for all I was worth. The act of picking the hammer up was immensely difficult but when I firmly held it aloft I felt _power _coursing through my very being.

The charge raced through my bodyand eventually settled down in my hands. This felt fucking amazing. It gave me the same heady feeling as the first time I picked up my shiny new axe only multiplied by about a million.

The sharp realization that the axe might be magically enchanted hit me just as I heard that annoying yell again.

"**I'm free! Haha!**"

I was so very fucking tired of his grating voice. I had tried everything I could think of, unless the challenge had nothing to do with the troll, I simply didn't have so much as a clue.

Instead of responding at all to the foul creature I simply waited to see what the Troll God would do. The Aesir yelled out his plans for rampaging across Sunnydale and making merry with the more attractive women of the town. The troll looked at me, seemed to size me up for a moment, and eventually asked me something.

"**I am thirsty, oddly smelling human, show to me to where you keep your ale and I shall show you mercy!**"

I didn't say a thing as I pointed towards the door leading out of the basement. Olaf turned towards the door, walked up the stairs, and opened the door. I noticed that the world decidedly did not _shift _and Olaf simply walked through the door.

A heartbeat passed before I snapped out of my shock and chased after the bastard at full speed. The troll turned when he heard me but by now I had an excellent grasp on how it would respond to a charge. I ducked under his swing, stepped slightly to the left to dodge his kick, grabbed his foot and pushed the Aesir off balance.

The Troll God fell over backwards onto Uncle Bob's workshop floor and mere moments later I was on top of him and merrily beating the ever living fuck out of its deformed face. Like always the troll dropped his hammer when I got too close for it to be of use and the two of us exploded into an orgy of violence.

Knowing that whatever damage I inflicted on the Aesir was permanent now was half the joy. The other half was the certainty our brawl would trash a decent part of Uncle Bob's shop. A handful of applications of _Fortress _and nine or so direct strikes with the butt of my axe to the creatures face were enough to finally kill it.

My heart was desperately trying to escape from my chest when I heard Uncle Bob clapping. Before he could say so much as a word I spoke up.

"**The hammer is mine.**"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	5. Chapter 5

*Chapter 041: June 12th, 1997-C*

Uncle Bob flashed me his infuriating grin and said, "Are you asserting the right of conquest? Blah, I don't actually care. Keep it." A moment later the warlock continued, "I'll take the troll itself; we can render its parts for ritual ingredients."

I raised an eyebrow and spoke up, "So... about yester-."

Uncle Bob furiously cut me off, "Boy! I keep my word and you best do likewise. Consider our conflict ancient history."

I gulped, nodded, and simply said, "Ok."

"That said... your efforts at ripping Melia's spawn to pieces were inspired; they almost made of up for your clumsy threats."

I reacted before I finished considering the implications in Uncle Bob's words, "Hey! I thought it sounded impressive."

"Perhaps they will in a year or so, Nicolas. Until then try to not bite off more than you can chew."

"Two things; how did you keep an eye on the aftermath... and you really shouldn't time these exercises in instilling humility right after I repeatedly killed a God."

The warlock turned towards me, settled into a contemptuous stare, and slowly said, "Just because something claims to be divine doesn't make it true. Of course... you shouldn't take that as a reason to jump on other so called 'Gods'. Most of the time it just indicates something survived a long time and is powerful enough to go unchallenged in whatever they have laid claim to."

"Oh... well this isn't good for the old ego. Are you going to tell me what your problem is with Amy?"

"The whelp means nothing to me. I was just amused at the damage you inflicted with a few carefully picked words."

"Is that why you didn't want me apologizing?"

"Boy! Quit while you're ahead!"

I settled down and considered Uncle Bob's words as we spent the next half hour cutting up Olaf's body in teeny tiny pieces. When we were finished labeling and putting away the mass of containers we needed to store the troll remains in I asked Uncle Bob for his phone. I needed to call Andrew and find out whether his mission was a success.

"Hey, Drew. How did it go?"

"Good! We got it and I wrote the letter too! How are things with... you know."

"No problems. Meet me at the school library; I'll be over in a few minutes."

"Ok! See ya."

Uncle Bob emerged from one of his cabinets and sent a mildly intrigued look my way.

"What did you have your puppy do?"

Right.

Uncle Bob's annoying compulsion of referring to Andrew and Johnny as my 'pets' was starting to grate on me. Explaining to the boys that it wasn't meant to be insulting wasn't quiet the chore I expected it to be though. Johnny was wigged out for a bit until Drew exclaimed he didn't care. The blond teen explained how much he felt his life had improved and if people wanted to call him my pet he'd blithely accept it. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that...

"I sent them after an artifact, Robert, Balthazar's power amulet to be specific."

The middle aged warlock looked vaguely dismissive and said, "This habit of yours to collect priceless artifacts would be interesting if you actually intended on using them."

"I don't trust the power emanating from it... what would you suggest?"

"Use it in a ritual of course, daft boy. Just make sure you keep a sinner nearby to take to the fall."

I hesitated for a moment, bit my lip, and replied, "I'm not quite there yet."

This caused Uncle Bob to explode in a fit of laughter. When I tried to get him to tell me what was so funny the man simply shook his head and walked off to the cellar.

Before he reached the basement's door Uncle Bob turned out and said, "Take the axe with you if you want it. Just remember it's not a gift, simply a loan, and I will want it back once you've charged it."

Well... wasn't that ominous. I tried following the man down to the cellar to demand some answers but the warlock spelled the door shut firmly.

**XxXXxX**

**June 12th, 1997**

"Are you sure Uncle Bob is going to let yesterday go, Nick?"

I sighed and reassured the boy for what seemed the umpteenth time, "Yes, Drew, no need to keep worrying. The man has punished me extensively... he won't go after you."

Andrew looked at me with his vaguely constipated expression and said, "That's not... I'm just happy you're fine."

I flashed the teen a smile and replied, "Thanks buddy."

The two of us got out of my car and walked across the nearly empty school parking lot. Finding a parking space on a Saturday afternoon was a far cry from the usual frustration that brought me. Johnny was holding down the fort and reading up on his enchantment books.

I carried my new favorite weapon and Andrew had passed me the amulet when we walked by Miss Calendar's homeroom.

"This is me! Have fun, Nick."

"Hah. You too, Drew."

I continued onwards to the library and was entirely unsurprised when I saw the entire 'Scooby Gang' was gathered around their token adult.

"Salve! Slayer-adjacent people."

I suffered through the groups greetings and when I felt I sat through it long enough to not be considered rude I turned to Giles.

"Giles. I have a new artifact I'd like you to send to the Council."

The man sighed, promptly started cleaning his glasses, and tiredly said, "What priceless wonder have you come to dispose of this time, Nick?"

Buffy piped up immediately, "Is is that giant hammer, Nick? I guess it looks pretty cool."

"Oh, no it's not, Buffy. Mjolnir is a keeper!"

Xander, Willow, and Giles all did a passable impression of a goldfish while Buffy absentmindedly snapped the staff she held in her hands.

These moments were almost sweet enough to make this whole Sunnydale experience worth it.

"Oh dear, Nick, how did you manage to acquire such a-."

"Sorry, that was just a joke. It's the not real Mjolnir."

Xander booed me and threw a piece of paper my way. I dodged the little mashed paper ball out of reflex and stuck out my tongue at the boy.

"The hammer is kind of what the legend of Mjolnir is based off of though. I mean... it's the godly container of the God I had to fight to get it. That's not why I'm here though."

Buffy rushed me, rudely intruded into my personal space, and came to a halt right in front me.

"You say things like that, Nick, and I'm sure you _think _it's funny but-."

I interrupted the girl before she could get a long but likely justified rant going.

"Buffy! I'm hurt! Do you really think I wouldn't share it with you?"

"What."

"Yea... we're going to need it at some point. It's not like vampires are the scariest things out there."

Now the Slayer looked a little uncertain and more than a little frightened. Shit... last time I spoke with her I prophesized her death. Maybe I shouldn't poke the girl now.

I pulled out the little package Andrew wrapped the amulet in and threw it at Giles.

"That's Balthazar's Amulet and I thought we should deny it to the demon." Before Giles could speak up I continued, "Yes... I am aware he's supposedly dead. Still better safe than sorry though."

"Quite right, Nick. I do wonder with great anticipation and worry what the next artifact you'll bring will be."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 042: June 12th, 1997-D*

"What can you tell us about vampire life styles/politics, Liam?"

Angel, Buffy and I were patrolling the various cemeteries of Sunnydale. In the past hour or so we caught up with two fledgling vamps, some sort of walking slime blob, and moderately impressive vamp.

Unfortunately Buffy wasn't taking very well to 'beating the answers' out of the demons and more often than not staked the creepy crawlies before we could ask them pointed questions.

I waved off Buffy's question and motioned for Angel to get to explaining.

"It's difficult to explain, Nick."

"Because we're not vamps; I get it Liam, no value judgments here, just keep it bare bones."

The sullen expression on Angel's face showed he clearly didn't believe me. Or perhaps he just didn't want Buffy knowing too much about his past. The man was incredibly difficult to get a read on. If I didn't have my out-of-context information on him... things would have been infinitely worse.

"Vampires live in one of three ways. Some of us prefer small groups, intimate clan's, that feed and live together. In those clans you usually have a singular leader to direct the group's movements and dictate their behavior."

That made sense, Angel was in one of those under Darla for centuries, and obviously he'd be more familiar with that dynamic.

Angel continued, "Then you have the loners who don't permanently associate with others. Some of them live in... " The vampire flashed a look at Buffy. "That live in 'suck houses' where humans meet them to sell their blood for whatever 'service' the vampire is willing to provide. Others simply hunt solitarily. Yet others drift from clan to clan or attach themselves to specific courts."

It took a moment but eventually Buffy cottoned on to the fact that 'suck houses' are basically blood-brothel dens. Her outrage was adorable.

"T-that is disgusting, Angel!"

"I'm sorry I'm being blunt here... ..but vampire's kill people, Buffy, can we stop claiming anything else they do matters in comparison?"

"I guess I see what-."

"Excellent! Liam, please continue."

"Courts are larger groups, but usually no more than a hundred or so members, under the leadership and protection of a Master Vampire. These courts differ from Master to Master but on average they resemble gangs with aspirations towards faux-nobility. The Master delegates his household duties to a Major Domo, the disciplining of his people to his Enforcer and a handful of members work as a pure extension of his will. The latter group is usually between five to ten members in numbers and they do anything the Master Vampire needs of them. Whether its diplomacy between other courts/factions, rounding up food for the fledglings or strikes on enemies... "

"I see. So if we manage to take out the Enforcer and the Major Domo after we kill a Master Vampire... can we expect the group to implode due to infighting?"

Before Angel could reply though my vampire fangs, hanging around my neck courtesy of Darla, started shaking. A split second later and I felt them pull towards my right. The sheer effort it took to make the fangs do that while ignoring Angel's own Aurelian bloodline was entirely worth it. Vampire radar was a go for me.

"Psst. Aurelian to the right. Close by; less than 300 meters."

We immediately split off from each other. Angel would encircle the vampire, Buffy would head for it straight on, and I tried to flank it while it as focused on Buffy. The system has worked exceptionally well so far but I _was _worried that the local nightlife would wise up soon. We couldn't rely on one set of tactics all the time.

My speed helped me with the positioning but like I said... sometimes things go wrong. The Aurelian swerved off, it might have sensed one of us, and headed directly towards me. I held my crossbow in one hand, readied the axe in my other, and kept speeding up.

When I had the creature in sight I reached for the Primal within me and roared loudly to let both Buffy and Angel know shit was hitting the fence. The vampire didn't bum-rush me which gave me some faint hope we weren't dealing with a fledgling. Instead the blood demon turned and ran.

_What the fuck._

I chased after the bugger but took care to keep casting my senses around for any traps. The vamps acceleration was incredible but after a few seconds it was obvious I was closing the gap between us. The creature turned its head, saw I was getting closer, and turned back towards me. Its fucked up speed now rapidly ate up the distance between us while I peppered the vampire with bolts.

The first bolt missed entirely, the second hit its leg together with the third, and the last two bolts firmly embedded themselves in its gut. The demon stumbled from the impact but its preternatural reflexes kept it on its feet. A split second later and we were both in grappling distance.

I swung the axe at one of the creature's arms, missed, and felt the bastard's retaliatory swipe to my face be absorbed by _Fortress_. Its momentary disbelief was enough for my second swing to cut off the vampire's leg at the knee.

I jumped backwards out of reach of its arms, jumped to the left to get behind it, and closed in to take off its arm at the shoulder. The vampire's scream was balm to my ears. I continued darting in and out around the crippled blood demon and finally managed to cut off the rest of its extremities.

I calmly walked over to the fallen beast, knelt on its chest, and waited for it to calm down.

"Holy crap, Nick that was... "

"Not now, Buffy, I can't afford considering this thing a person and I need answers."

Angel finally made it to us, took in the odd sight, and did his imitation of a statue again.

"Tell me why The Master sent Darla after me and I'll kill you."

The creature snarled and snapped but I held it firmly under control.

"The alternative is that you live through an eternity of being a cripple."

That finally got through to the creature but after it seemed to consider that for a moment it spit at me. I briefly considered employing my _Bronze Bull_ but explaining that to Buffy was likely a no-go. Instead I played a different card. I pulled my axe, cut a deep gash in my hand, and let it flow into the vampire's mouth.

"Nick... you need to explain this because it looks like you're feeding a vampire." Angel added his own color commentary by exclaiming, "This seems ill advised, Nick."

I kept quiet for a moment longer and when I judged enough of my blood entered the vampire's system I supercharged the sympathetic connection between us.

I called on my Primal again and growled out, "**Tell me why The Master is after me.**"

Without hesitation the vampire replied, "Your blood is the blood of the ancients. The Master seeks to employ the magic in it to open the gateways between the Sunken Church and the Deeper Wells. Your mortal essence will serve as his vessel much like the failure Luke."

Oh.

Well fuck.

"**How does he intend to come after me?**"

"All the members of the Order are on the lookout for you and your allies. When we inevitable grab one we will leverage it into your surrender."

I guess there truly is nothing new under the sun. Perhaps this counted double for vampires.

"**How many of you are there that The Master can call on?**"

"Thirty six full members of the order with another dozen or so fledglings."

"**Tell me where your hideouts are as well as their defenses.**"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 043: June 13th, 1997-A*

"Johnny's arrived Drew. Let's go."

I had sent out Jonathan to rent a truck for us in a different city under a pseudonym. We were going to need to be able to get around town without having our actual wheels be associated with the crime spree we were planning.

"Alright! I've got all the supplies here. I need you to carry it though... its super heavy."

We headed out to the truck after I double checked whether we did everything with us. Once I was convinced we did I loaded everything into the back of the truck and waited for little Constantine to jump in.

"Ok. Let's be off to the library then."

The trip to Sunnydale High library was thankfully entirely uneventful. I seriously did not want to deal with explaining to the authorities why we had so many bottles, petrol and motor oil with us. When we arrived at the school we were met by Buffy and her crew.

"Morning, Nick."

"Hey, Buffy, are you ready to kick some ass?"

"Definitely! As long as I'm not the one setting buildings on fire I can deal."

After yesterdays little incident with the bloodletting the girl witnessed I expected her to be more than a little freaked out. Once I managed to explain just what had happened though Buffy surprised me. In fact, it was Angel who wasn't comfortable with the blood magic, she was rather enthused about having to forgo torturing answers out of the vampires.

"Hah. No problem."

While I spoke with Buffy about the process of making Molotov cocktails Willow squealed with glee when she saw Constantine running around my legs. When she made a grab for the little bugger he jumped _over _her head and started running circles around the girl until we made it to the library.

In the library Giles had set up a bunch of tables for us to start assembling our budget Molotov cocktails on. In a perfect world we would have had some white phosphorus grenades but that wasn't feasible in the short term. Our flaming cocktails however should work just well enough.

Constantine made his presence known when he sent a flash of understanding my way. Clearly the little pup didn't appreciate Willows efforts at getting her hands on him.

"Hey, Willow, did you manage to get the plans for the city sewers?"

"Yes! But there's something weird about it... "

I knew I was risking the gang twigging to the existence of our evil mayor but decided that was an acceptable outcome. It also spoke highly of Willow's intelligence that she'd grasp the implications of such extensive underground structures in short order.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... there's so many tunnels, sewers and caverns under the city. It's almost as if someone wanted to make it easy for vampires to get around. The problem is that the earliest of these... are well over a century old and date back to the founding of the city."

Buffy said, "So... are you saying someone _made _this city to accommodate vampires?"

Giles tiredly interjected, "Oh dear. I can't imagine that spells out anything but trouble."

"No doubt... but that's a worry for another day. Now we need to get to fixing up our pretty firebombs."

Andrew, Willow, Xander and Giles spent the next hour making our Molotov cocktails. Buffy, Jonathan and I busied ourselves with repurposing a bunch of wooden baseball bats. I remembered the baseball bat Charles Gunn used to great effect and the moment I shared that tidbit with Buffy she fell madly in love with the weapon. The baseball bats would let our more squishy friends keep vampires at bay if they swung them while also doubling as a longer ranged stakes.

The chatter around me slipped past me while I lost myself in the details of our planned assaults. The vampire I subverted yesterday told us of the three hideouts he was aware of. These abandoned houses were thankfully all in the same neighborhood but the foul creature wasn't aware of the numbers we'd encounter. Its best guess was an approximation of four fledges per house with one or two minders each.

The vampires that were higher up in the Masters hierarchy were all kept close to the ancient bloodsucker in his little personal prison. I didn't delude myself into thinking this was going to be a decisive victory but even simply showing the Master _cannot _protect his minions from us should cut down on the support the bastard could draw from the un-affiliated vampires in town.

Xander piped up with a quick, "All this alcohol around us and we're only using it as an accelerant. I'm disappointed in you, Nick!"

Buffy interrupted my undoubtedly scathing reply when she poked me in the sides.

"So... do you have a plan beyond; fire, fire, kill it good?"

Everyone in the library suddenly stopped what they were doing and stared straight at me.

"I'd say so. Liam, you and I go down into the sewers while we wait for the others to set the dens on fire and get ready to kill all the vampires that run into the tunnels to get away from their impending fiery deaths. I doubt any of them will think of running out of their dens into the sunlight but... if they do we can count on Johnny, Drew and Giles to kill them with their crossbows. Xander and Willow can cover their backs."

"Sounds good... but what if we get overwhelmed in the sewers?"

"Simple. If it looks like the vampires could break through our ranks... you and Liam duck while I set everything that still stands up on fire. I _think _that wouldn't collapse the sewers but just in case it does... we should run for it."

"Wow... that doesn't really instill me with major confidence, Nick."

"I noticed. Are you worried about a bunch of fledges?"

"I'm worried about surprises!"

"Same here but really Buffy... you can't anticipate everything. Between you, Liam and my magic we should be fine. Worst case scenario... we have our backup less than thirty feet away."

"Fine, fine. I'm still officially objecting to the whole setting of fires thing. I can't tell my mom I did _that _again. She'd kill me!"

Giles finally spoke up, "Consider that noted, Buffy. My only concern about it would be the efficaciousness of killing such low ranking vampires. In the greater scheme of things their loss wouldn't affect the Master overmuch."

"I am intensely aware of that. The way I see it this is our opening move. If all goes well this afternoon... we can go around later tonight to hit up all the places where demons hang out and send them a message. 'Support the Master and we come kill you, specifically you, should we ever find out you did'."

Buffy replied while Giles was busy looking British, "Do you think they'd listen and I still don't get why your puppy is here?"

"I have no clue. I just imagine they'd like being set on fire about as much as anyone else. Constantine can sniff out trouble and I'll be using him as an extra set of eyes."

"Oh, I see." Giles frowned slightly as he likely recalled the amalgamation of rituals I subjected Constantine to but seemed to decide to let it go. Instead he continued, "Well... there are a handful of species that greatly-."

Heading off a long but likely informative lecture I said, "You're taking this too literally Giles! Anyways... we have the location of three dens. We should be able to hit all of them in less than an hour. In any case; it's imperative we keep our communications going. If the topside crew spots anything we need to know immediately."

Andrew, Jonathan and Xander all looked at each other briefly and then spoke up in unison.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 044: June 13th, 1997-B*

"I can smell the smoke; get ready Buffy."

Buffy acknowledged me by swinging around her sharpened baseball bat and smiling cockily. The two of us were positioned on the far end of the tunnel, just before it bended towards a crossing, while Angel held the same grounds in the opposite direction.

Despite knowing the fire was likely already progressing through the abandoned den it was taking a while for the vampires to show up. Maybe the minders weren't around to corral the baby fledgling vamps to safety. Either way; all I could do was sit tight and wait for the onslaught.

"What's taking so long, Nick?"

"Not sure. I can hear movements in the house but they aren't coming down yet. Oh, oh! They're coming now."

I jerked my wrist bracelet a handful of times, set up an unstable _Flash Bang, _and held it under my jacket to stop the light from betraying our position. A large and extremely buff vampire jumped down the hatch connecting the den to the sewers and started sniffing around. When I saw a second vampire jump down I nodded towards Buffy and lobbed my magical hand grenade around the corner at the pair.

Buffy looked questioningly at me but I ignored it in favor of getting my _Heat Death _up and going. The two vampires started clasping their hands on their heads and thankfully weren't paying any attention to me. I sent my little red death beam at them and watched as they both immolated in an explosion of dust.

That was Buffy and Angel's cue to close in to the hatch. Our two heavy hitters rushed in and I followed closely behind to take advantage of their drawing the newly emerging set of vamps. I charged a _Fortress_, took my axe out of my duster, and watched as Buffy and Angel ripped them to shreds.

When both new vampires expired Buffy made a move at climbing up the hatch but thankfully Angel prevailed on her better sense and pointed towards me. I lobbed my _Flash Bang_ through the opening and nodded towards Buffy.

I flew up the rusty ladder, looked around, and jumped back down.

"There was nothing moving up there."

I couldn't hear any movement in the den but I was too suspicious to let it go. Another _Flash Bang _lobbed through the hatch and I ran up the ladder again. The stench of death and blood hung heavily in the air but was nothing compared to the smoke wafting through the corridors. The air in the building was now hot enough to scorch which led to believe there really weren't any insanely easily flammable vampires in the den.

I jumped back down to the sewer, rifled through my duster to extract my walky-talky, and signaled for Andrew.

"Ave Bravo, moving on to Ellis Avenue now. Current den is clear."

"Salve Omega, got it. We'll be there in three minutes."

I looked towards Buffy and said, "Let's move out. This place is done but do anticipate more resistance at the next position."

"Ok. What are we waiting for?"

Angel turned and ran towards the next den we were planning on burning down. As a long term resident of sewers he was the obvious point guy to lead us through the complicated underground mazes. Exactly four minutes later we arrived at the new location and I hailed Drew to start setting the fires.

Angel took up his position across from us again while Buffy and I hung back around the corner.

"That went well, why do you think there will be more this time, Nick?"

"There were only four in the last place, Buffy. Kinda worried we'll run into the excess vamps in this or the next den."

"Oh... "

We both fell quiet as we strained our ears, one of us better than the other, to listen for the frantic footsteps of scared vampires. A little over a minute passed when I finally heard something move the hatch cover and saw it jump down into the sewer. Just like before I lobbed my _Flash Bang _at it and its explosion fortuitously coincided with a second shape jumping down into the tunnels.

Instead of waiting for my entropy curse I watched in dismay as Buffy rushed towards the open hatch door. I couldn't afford not following the girl so I simply gritted my teeth and ran in after her.

Just before Buffy reached the ladder another shape dropped down but was dusted by her before it touched the ground. The girl dispatched the one after that with contemptuous ease and Angel stole the show by jumping up the ladder.

What the hell was wrong with these two?

Buffy made a move to follow him up, I tried to grab for her arm but missed, and looked on in utter horror as the only non-healable member of our team jumped into the fiery deathtrap.

"God damn!"

A few seconds later and both of my allies jumped back down into the sewers with me.

Buffy had a major shit eating grin on her face as she said, "Done!"

I looked towards Angel, gazed back at Buffy, and asked them both, "Nothing left?"

"Nope! We dusted another four in there. They were _terrible_ at this."

"Ok, fine, but really... seeing as I can't heal you Buffy... can you please stop jumping into my fiery death traps... "

The girl had the good grace to blush and muttered her assent. If I wasn't me I would have missed the next few words out of her mouth, "This is just too boring... "

For the love of...

I made a mental note to have Giles hammer in 'a boring conflict is a good conflict' into the girl. She definitely wouldn't be accepting those words from me. That being said though... Angel had no fucking excuse for his idiocy.

"Liam; you're very flammable too. Stop rushing in please!"

The brooding vampire gave me an odd look and said, "They were going to drop down... if they landed Buffy would have been surrounded on all sides."

Oh.

Well fuck.

"I see. Sorry for misreading the situation then."

To cover my own serious case of blushing I turned around and hailed Andrew again to tell him to move on. Angel thankfully didn't make a big deal out of my ill considered outburst and led us to the last den we knew off.

When we got there were simply repeated the same pattern we had used before to such great success. The first vampire got blinded, Buffy closed in to rampage all over it, and Angel was there to keep the other vampires tied up and away from her.

I finally got my first taste of close combat violence of the day and managed to snag myself a lovely beheading with my axe. Angel was thrown clear of the area around the ladder and was tag teamed by two blond vampire ladies. Buffy turned to help the vampire and that left me alone with two other vamps. My _Fortress _absorbed most of the initial impact of one of the vampires barreling into me and my axe was ineffectually cutting into the vamps back. I felt two cold hands around my throat, dropped my axe, and did my best at prying the choking grip from me.

I was seconds from passing out when the vampire that held me down exploded in fiery ashes. Buffy extended her hand towards me and said, "Sorry! I shouldn't have jumped out on you."

"No problem. I'm still alive!"

I got up, looked around, and saw that the vamps in sewers were all dead. I jumped up through the latch again, sniffed the hot in as deeply as I dared, but didn't sense any vampires running in the den.

"All clear."

I pulled out my walky-talky and signaled Drew again to get moving and head to our rendezvous spot.

"So, Liam, what do you know about Willy's bar?"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 045: June 13th, 1997-C*

"I don't see why I can't give the big speech!"

"Because, Buffy, you're the big guns. You never open with the big guns."

Angel, Buffy and I were on our way to Willy's bar to knock some demons around. Buffy wanted to play the big bad Slayer laying down the law but I convinced her no demon would ever buy that. Slayers generally do not negotiate and these creatures have long memories.

"So why can you do it?"

"I'd actually prefer it if I didn't, Buffy. Liam could play the Big Bad but since he's a vampire... well they'd all expect things from him."

Angel looked over at me and said, "I'd like to have some words with you, Nick, after we finish up at Willy's."

Buffy's curious expression was utterly ignored by me as I considered what Angel might want to talk about. A few minutes passed before I even thought of replying to the man.

"Ok."

Buffy piped up with, "What?"

"Huh?"

"What's ok?"

"Oh, I'll talk to Liam later."

"We're you having a vision?"

What.

Where did that come from?

"Erm, no I didn't, why do you ask?"

"You zoned out for a little while there. I thought... you know."

I guess that makes a vague sort of sense but I still didn't really know what the girl meant.

"What do I know?"

Angel interjected before Buffy could answer, "I'm sure we can talk about this later. We're close to the bar now."

I was more than a little suspicious but the vampire was right. I needed to focus now and prepare myself for the coming show.

We arrived at Willy's bar a few seconds later and found that the building was just as grimy as seen in the show. There weren't any windows that hadn't been boarded up but there were still some cracks in them. Through them I could positively taste the most virulent set of smells known to mankind. The pervasive stench of vampire was mixed and mashed with half a dozen other alien scents. The result... was terrible.

Liam took up position near the door; his job was to be keeping all the late coming demons away from us. Buffy would dramatically kick in the main entrance and she'd stake the closest vampire with her new baseball bat. When I judged the moment right I'd make my own moves.

Buffy walked up to the door, kicked the door entirely off its hinges, and ran in. I followed the girl into the bar and noticed with delight that the place was filled to the brim. Buffy barreled into the nearest vampire, pushed the stake-bat through its arm into its heart, and stepped back to my side with an expression of utter contempt plastered on her face.

The girl was thankfully really getting into it.

I simply stood still with my shiny hammer held over my shoulder and stared the crowd down. I didn't want to act until one of the customers that weren't Willy spoke up. It took about fifteen seconds before Willy realized his words weren't of interest to us. The bartender's voice trailed off and the tension in air returned in full force.

The vampires were all rooted to their seats but a green and rather scaly thing stood up and looked like it was ready to speak up. I pulled up my Primal to the surface and let out a faint persistent growl. My entire chest cavity rumbled and it almost sounded like I was purring.

The scary swamp thing finally spoke up in a surprisingly cultured voice, "What do yo-?"

That was the moment I was waiting for. I had built up a small portion of my power, jerked my bracelet, and unleashed everything I had stored in my lodestone. My mother's ring had kept mine and others suffering for me for about a month... and it wasn't the type of month I'd easily inflict on anyone.

Anything that wasn't scaly and stinky that is. I structured my mind into _Exodus_ and sent the brightly glowing orange ball of pure suffering at the creature's chest before he even finished speaking. What happened next would always be burned into my mind.

A great deal of the bone structure of the creepy crawly simultaneously crumbled and pierced its exoskeleton. Enormous rends of wounds appeared all over its body together with steam erupting from its deep blue ichors. A split second later its body lost its integrity and simply collapsed into ooze. The audience for my little show started visibly getting antsy and fidgety.

I allowed my Primal to edge even closer, started growling louder, and let a smile form on my face.

Another heartbeat and I spoke up, "**This young girl on my left is the Slayer. She wants to exterminate all of you.**"

That was Buffy's cue to look intimidating. The girl obliged me and jumped on top of the bar counter all while keeping her creepily dead expression on her face.

"**It has taken me a considerable amount of effort to convince her that not **_**all **_**of you are our enemies.**"

I let the message sink it, watched as a pair of the bolder demons started whispering with each other, and unleashed a quick _Heat Death _at the offending couple. One of them tried to scramble out of the way but was still hit on its shoulder. The other wasn't as lucky and the little red beam of destruction was the last thing it felt.

A hushed silence fell over the room and I noted with pleasure that nothing else tried to speak. The feeling of power over the crowd of usually blood thirsty demons was simply incredible. It gave me a rush, a feeling of _rightness_, that all was well in the world as long they continued bowing to me.

"**Some of you might have already heard of our combined assault on The Master's Court. To those that have; anticipate a visit from me now I have your scent. Regardless; in time our enemies Aurelian Order will be no more than dust; much like the Master himself.**"

I again gave the assorted baddies in the room time to absorb the news before I continued.

"**Do not let us find you involved in our conflict.**"

I nodded towards Buffy and the girl jumped down behind another vampire. She grabbed the creature and pushed him up against the counter. Half a second later the vampire was reduced to dust.

Buffy turned, looked around, and said, "Or do."

Then without as much as a glance backwards the girl walked over to the entrance. I turned towards Willy lightly growled out, "**The demon known as Clem. Tell him I look forward to besting him in the card game.**"

I couldn't resist adding a little random touch. I could try rationalizing it to myself but I knew better. I just needed to have the last word. Setting the stage for my later introduction with Clem wouldn't hurt either but it certainly wasn't the main reason.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 046: June 13th, 1997-D*

"How did it go, Buffy?"

"They didn't give us any trouble, Giles! Nick swatted two down like it was nothing and the rest just started quaking in their pelts."

I chuckled and said, "Don't underestimate how scared they got from your quiet simmering rage."

The blond Slayer turned, smiled, and replied, "So... now we're back in the library. I remember you promising you'd tell me how you knew they wouldn't gang up on us?"

"I didn't."

"What!"

I probably shouldn't chuckle again but I couldn't help it, "It was an educated guess, Buffy."

"Y-you... you!"

"They were all predators, Buffy. Predators run from shows off strength... it's simply in their nature."

"So there was no chance they'd... "

"Rip us to shreds? Nah... you're the Slayer and I am... well vision boy. Liam was right outside and we only set like three steps into the building."

Buffy glared furiously at me, tried to come up with something to say, and eventually settled on exclaiming, "You should have told me."

I walked over to the girl and slung me arm around her shoulder, "I _am_ sorry, Buffy. We _really _needed you to sell the fearless Slayer act that makes the monsters check under their beds for you... twice."

That seemed to somewhat mollify the girl thankfully. If the Slayer wasn't fully on board with my plans I'd have to scrap so very many of them. Perhaps I was growing to used to having her as backup... I made a mental note to kick up my physical combat training up a notch. Uncle Bob should be able to cast more of those time spells for me and the boys.

Speaking of my boys... I walked over to check on Andrew and Jonathan. I found both teens in the back office doing something behind the computer.

"What's up, lads?"

"Hey, Nick! How did it go?"

"Just as planned; they pretty much sat there and took it."

"Good! We were just working on the database we're setting up."

"Did you have any trouble with the programming?"

"Nah... we finished that in less than an hour. The data entry is a whole other thing though... "

"I see. I don't think we'd find more people who'd help. People we'd trust to not make mistakes I mean... "

Liam walked into the office and asked for a moment. I remembered we were supposed to have a little conversation but I was seriously not looking forward to it. A whole bunch of concerns flitted through my mind; did he find out about Denver, my fake visions or is there something I simply missed entirely? I couldn't even guess at what the problem would be.

Another testament to how closed off and hard to read Angel is. Even with my enhanced body language reading skills... the vampire had been around long enough to not leak indicators without being off balance somehow.

When we reached a quiet spot in the parking lot I spoke up, "So... what's up, Liam?"

"You're playing a dangerous game, Nick. Are you sure you want to get on this track? You might find out you can't step off anymore."

"Do you have any other paths for me?"

The vampire looked away and in that moment I took a gamble.

"Why don't you tell me what I can do for you, Liam?"

Angel's gaze snapped back at me and for a moment I could have sworn I saw a flash of rage in his eyes.

"Last time we spoke... you gave me pieces about my destiny. Mere crumbs compared to what you so obviously know. Tell me more."

When he finished speaking up I was hit by a set of unpleasant realizations in a flash of understanding. The vague scent I had smelled on the man earlier that was just slightly _off_, his interruption when Buffy tried to push me about my vision, his well hidden anger and now he was...

What was he doing?

He wanted more information about his destiny.

In the past week he hadn't so much as spoken a word to me that wasn't strictly necessary. For him to break that admittedly short habit... _something_ must have happened. He didn't ask about a specific fear, like his soul being improperly secured, but instead asked about his destiny...

_God damn it._

Who is the only other person that applies that word to Angel?

_Fucking Whistler_.

"What did Whistler tell you?"

The vampire crossed the distance between us in the blink of an eye. He came to a standstill inches from my face and it took everything I had to not flinch beyond jerking a _Fortress_ into being.

Before the undead Irishman could say anything I spoke up again, "I see. You are here for a second opinion."

Angel did his favorite impression of statue again before he finally replied, "He was just as vague as you were. I'm thinking if neither of you will be straight with me... "

I shook my head and said, "Only one of us fights _with _you."

"Whistler _can't _act."

"Interesting... I didn't think balance demons _could_ lie. You have an eidetic memory... are you sure that's what he said?"

Angel frowned, fell quiet for a few heartbeats, and locked gazes with me again.

"He... may have implied that."

I had to admit that was a complete shot in the dark. Whistler's penchant for keeping things close to the vest was working out well for me.

"I see. Liam... " I let my voice trail off but continued a second later, "Redemption isn't something you _earn_."

That certainly got the vampires attention.

"There is an ancient prophesy that mentions a vampire with a soul. It's called the Shansu Prophesy and it implies that after arduous trails, endless suffering and losing everything you hold dear... you get a chance at being a man again. You'd have your demon burned out of you and would be left with just you... the man Liam."

That finally put the man off balance. His eyes widened in shock and took a step backwards. I couldn't give him any time to day dream so I continued.

"For the merest chance of being human Whistler would have you be his attack dog for an undermined amount of time."

The vampire locked eyes with me again and said, "That doesn't sound terrible. I know I have... I deserve to-."

I didn't want his mind drifting in that direction so I interrupted Angel.

"No. You really don't."

"Will you have me throw away my chance at a life? It would be my only chance... to walk in the sun... to have a life again. What could you possibly know that compares to that?"

"Whistler won't ever give you details... so I will. I can offer a _guarantee_, Liam. My visions are not as limited as those in play by Whistler's employers."

"Explain."

"Gladly. I don't _just _see the future. I see versions of the future. I see one where you spend a century in hell after Buffy throws you in it. There's another that has you working for the Powers That sit on their asses and be discarded for failing. There's one that has you as a shining hero in Los Angeles after it's subsumed by a demon infested hell dimension."

Angel still hadn't looked away from my eyes.

"You complained I wasn't being straight with you? Fine! Here am I... being straight. I'll offer you a better deal than the Powers would ever dream of offering you. Give me a year of your service and I'll give you your humanity back. I won't need to beg any deities to make that happen nor would I need you to suffer endlessly before you _finally_ believe you deserved redemption."

Liam crossed the distance between us, grabbed me by the shoulders, and picked me up.

"If you're lying to me, boy... "

I reached deep for the Primal, stared Angel down, and growled out," **Do not threaten me, Liam. I keep my word and you will be a man after a year of service. I promise it will be so.**"

The vampire let me down gently but before he could say anything I grabbed Angel by the arm as tight as I could.

"**Our destinies are our own. All the demons with pretenses to the divine that look down on us as toys and pawns... fuck them. We arose from the muck on our own merit. We do not **_**need **_**them."**

I turned around to head back to the library when I heard Angels voice drifting on the wind, "Who are you?"

I continued walking to the school building but still replied, "**Someone who is done **_**fearing**_**, Liam. Let me know if you want to join me.**"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 047: June 14th, 1997-A*

"You have to join us, Nick!"

Harmony was trying to get me to sign up for the talent show with her friends. What exactly she hoped to get me to do was unclear but I didn't like it.

Not one bit.

"That's just not going to happen, Harmsy."

The blond cheerleader pouted and whined, "But it's going to be so much fun! It has to be better than hanging out in the library."

Her group of fanatical minions started echoing her sentiments and I looked towards Buffy for some support. The grin on her face was only matched by Giles' obvious amusement of my predicament. Willow on the other hand mimed 'Harmsy' with an intensely confused look on her face.

"No it won't be! I... I have stage fright. Let's go with that."

Harmony snorted but seemingly relented, "Ok, fine, have it your way. We'll find someone else... maybe Mark."

The blond girl wasn't out of the library for even a second before Buffy burst out in mad giggles. Willow was still fairly confused about my nickname for Harmony and the least said about Xander's grinning mug the better.

Giles reappeared from his office to mock me some more, "It appears you have made it out of your troubles, Nick."

I took a deep breath, tried to let everything go, and focused on the reason I was in the library.

"Ok, listen up Slayerette's. I'd like to invite all of you to Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet tonight."

Giles froze for a moment but rallied admirably, "I'm not quite sure Robert du Blanc would... be very appreciative of my presence."

"I spoke to him, Giles. As long as everyone lets sleeping dogs lie... there shouldn't be a problem."

Willow questioningly asked, "Who is Robert du Blanc?"

"That would be Uncle Bob, my magic instructor, and he's doing me a favor tonight. He's going to set up a time chamber for us to train with. The chamber doesn't let you go tired; or hungry but still can frustrate and anger you. Beyond that you repeatedly 'play out' a scenario; tonight Liam will be our creepy crawly which means we have access to the skills a three centuries old vampire can train us with."

"How... how does it work?"

"Erm. Magic Willow. It uses magic."

"No! That's n-not what I meant. I mean... does time go faster on the inside of the chamber?"

Xander immediately exclaimed, "Like the hyperbolic chamber Goku uses?"

"Yes. Yes to both of you."

"But... this sounds like something that would benefit you and Buffy more... what are we going to do?"

"Uhh, I'm not sure. Giles can probably think of something. I know Andrew and Jonathan will be practicing with their crossbows."

"Oh... "

"That is... if Mr. Giles actually wants all of you to go?"

Buffy piped up with, "Super training that doesn't take up all my personal time? Giles wouldn't take that away from me... would he?"

The entire group turned towards the British Watcher and for a split second I felt something akin to pity for the man. Then I remembered he laughed at me minutes before so I just sat back and enjoyed his stammering. A handful of minutes later and Buffy had the man eating out of her hands. Giles promised to drive everyone over tonight and he wouldn't try to antagonize Uncle Bob either.

I didn't have high hopes for that but I couldn't pass up prolonged training with the Slayer and Liam at the same time.

**XxXXxX**

**June 14th, 1997**

Buffy's 'Scoobies' and I walked out of the library and headed over to one of the few classes we all shared. Biology was still one of the better classes, and by that I meant not tear inducing, of the Sunnydale High experience. When we arrived at the class I noticed Harmony was nowhere to be seen.

This wasn't the first time the girl was late or simply skipped a class so I wasn't too worried. That lasted until Harmony's minions walked into the classroom sans their fearless leader. When they walked passed me I tried to discretely smell for Harmony but all I could find was the hour old smell from before.

I walked over to one of the minions and said, "Where's Harmsy?"

"Uhh. I think she's still with Mark. Why? Are you jealous already?"

What?

I flashed the girl a contemptuous look when I was hit by an awful realization. I was forgetting something. Something really important that could cost someone his or her life. It had something to do with the talent show but I couldn't remember any specifics beyond that there was a puppet involved somehow. I grabbed my backpack and started making my way out of the class when Mr. Gregory came walking in.

Before the man could talk to me I walked passed him and said, "Sorry, sir. Not feeling too hot."

My destination was the auditorium where the talent show was to be held, at least if the flyers on the walls were to be believed, and I reached it a minute or two later. There were a bunch of students practicing... whatever it was they were working on... all under the not so watchful eye of Miss Devani. The art teacher who so obviously didn't care was nodding off in the corner and hiding her hangover behind a pair of sunglasses.

I vaguely recalled some sort of creature attacking and kill people for some reason. Either way, whatever it wanted, I couldn't let it have Harmony. I walked right into the throngs of students backstage and starting sniffing out Harmony's scent. When I eventually found a relatively fresh scent I immediately set out to follow it.

I quietly drew a stake from my wrist launcher and inched my way across the room my nose led me to. I could hear Harmony talking with someone, the girl was begging to be let go, and heard the inhumane voice replying to her.

"No. I need your heart! I'll have it cut out soon and you'll be done suffering."

Yup.

Time to die, creepy crawly.

I stalked towards the creature, finally got my eyes on it, and jumped across the room. The demon wearing the semi-rotting human skin turned around and managed to intercept me. I felt his punch to my chest be absorbed by my instinctively cast _Fortress _and used his momentary shock to retaliate with an uppercut to the creatures jaw.

The demon fell backwards, recovered before I could reach him again, and grabbed me by the leg. The bastard pulled my leg from under me and I collapsed painfully on top of a cabinet. The demon pushed itself off the ground and lunged towards Harmony who stood frozen in fear.

I jerked my bracelet, let my mind structure into _Heat Death, _and launched the little red beam at the creatures back. My entropy curse hit the thing head on and I watched as it fell to the ground. I jumped over the body and landed behind Harmony.

The girl turned and clutched me for all she was worth. After a moment or two her sobbing died down and I tried to get her to go to the nurse's office. The girl insisted he didn't do anything to her but I certainly wasn't going to accept that. I told her she could walk herself or I'd carry her.

Just as the girl was going to reply we were both tackled to the ground. The creature had somehow survived and was frantically beating my on my back. I couldn't cast enough _Fortresses _to keep up so most of its hits would leave massive bruises soon.

I couldn't move out the way without the creature having a clear shot at Harmony so instead I tried something else. I pushed off the floor entirely, took the creature on my back with me, and rolled in the mid air.

When we fell on the ground again it was I who sat firmly on top. I had lost my stake a while back so all I could do was punch... and punch I did. I rained down hit after hit on the creature's face but after a handful of heartbeats the bastard dislodged me and managed to pin me under its weight again.

This time the demon was the one punching my lights out and I was rapidly losing my cool. Panic was about to set in completely when I saw a floating fucking _sword _hanging in the air. A split second later and it cut right through the demon's neck.

_What the hell is happening?_

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 048: June 14th, 1997-B*

The floating sword hung in the air for a brief moment before it fell clattering to the ground. I pushed myself off the floor and took a step towards the weapon when I heard footsteps moving about in the room.

"What is going on Nick? Are you doing this too? I saw the red thing you... threw... is it like that? What is that thing?"

I looked over to the girl and replied, "No, Harmony. I had nothing to do with the floating sword. I need you to go to the nurses' office now."

A contemptuous disembodied voice to my right spoke up, "Yeah. Get out _Harmsy_."

I turned towards the source of sound and bravely said, "Hi... uhh. Thank you for your help earlier."

I noticed Harmony pulling herself out of her stupor and getting ready to tear into our unseen savior. Not sure how to put a stop to that I opted for simply carrying the girl out of the room.

"Hey! What are-."

"Nurses office, Harmony, now."

I dropped the girl, walked back into the room, and closed the room's door behind me.

The disembodied voice said, "Finally. I can't stand the bitch. What makes her so special Nick?"

"Why don't we start with the basics first dearest ghost? What's your name?"

"You don't remember me do you? Why would you? Nobody remembers me... not even the super heroes running around killing monsters seem to care!"

Wow.

The girl, and by now I had discerned it was a young girls voice, was obviously aware of what was going on around me. At the same time she just as clearly didn't know everything as evidenced by her... let's call it skewed perception. On the other hand... I can appreciate that from a distance Buffy does look a bit like a comic hero... minus the flashy garb.

"Try to jog my memory dear."

"Why would I even expect you to remember? I was only the first person to help you! Why did you forget about me?"

Oh good god.

It was Marcie. The adorable girl who helped Buffy and I get around during our first week. Where the hell did she disappear to?

"Marcie!"

"You know... You _do _remember me! I knew I didn't misjudge you! The nice foreign boy wouldn't forget me!"

I tried inching closer to the ghosts' voice and said, "Marcie... I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"What happened to me? Do you know?"

"I'm... not entirely sure. Did you see me casting magic earlier, Marcie?"

I kept using the obviously unstable ghost's name. I knew from the show that friendly ghosts do exist but that their first impression of you was rather important. Making sure the ghost doesn't seek to haunt me would be a fairly high priority.

"Yes! The pretty red light... " Her voice trailed off for a bit but she continued, "Are you going to use it on me? I'm not a monster... I'm not a monster I promise!"

"I know that Marcie. You wouldn't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it would you?"

"No! No! I wouldn't do that!"

"Good! I'm going to use my magic, Marcie, to try and figure out what happened. Maybe I can turn you back but I'm not sure I'm strong enough to do that."

Marcie crossed the distance between us and enveloped me with a tight hug, "But you'll try! Of course you will. I knew you were nice!"

I put my arms around the girl and whispered to her that things would be better from here. A few moments passed before I dropped my idiot ball and figured out that ghosts aren't solid. They aren't warm, soft and teary eyed either. Clearly something else had happened to the girl which gave me some faint hope I might actually carry my reassurances to her through.

It if was magic I could break it relatively easily. All I'd need were some sacrificial animals to take the backlash and presto. Magic made undone.

If it was something Hell Mouthy going on... well that severely limited the options I had. A straight up magical fix would be out the question but perhaps I could finagle a glamour that lets people see her.

"I'll take you to my magic instructor, Marcie, if that's all right with you?"

I felt the girl nod but she didn't bother replying. I didn't want to have to walk through the busy school corridors and explain why I was miming holding on to _something _so instead I opened up a window. Letting her out of my sight, sort of, didn't seem like the right play to make.

"Time to piggyback, Marcie."

I felt the girl climb onto my back and I jumped straight out of the window. The invisible girl made a squeak of delight and when we landed her first question was to ask if we could do that again.

"You mean jumping from the third floor down?"

"Yes!"

"Uhh. Sure."

Let's certainly try to keep the girl who can vanish from even my senses on my good side. I wasn't sure how she was doing it, only that if I let my mind wander I couldn't quite focus on her, but that problem was lessened if I kept physical contact with her.

We walked over to my car while it looked to the world as if I was holding hands with the air. Not that people's opinions of me matter all that much but it would cause me nothing but annoyance. When we drove off I immediately lost the scent of the girl. Her heartbeat became fainter and more difficult to keep track of and completely disappeared when I stopped chanting her name in my mind.

When I resumed chanting 'Marcie Marcie Marcie' over and over in my thoughts the smell returned incredibly faintly and I could hear the distant rumbling of her stomach.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes. No. I'll eat later... I don't like eating in front of y- uhh people."

Ok...

Firmly ignoring the red flags I sped up the car and made it to Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet in no time. We got out of my car, walked across the parking lot I almost died on, and headed into the shop.

Robert was sitting behind the counter and appeared to be completely immersed in the tome he was reading.

"Hello Robert. I really need your help, sir."

The warlock looked up at me, got an odd look on his face, asked, "Well... what do you need Nicolas?"

I walked Marcie over to the warlock and told her to slap him on the arm. The invisible girl immediately complied and the expression on Uncle Bob's face was utterly to die for.

"This is Marcie! She's invisible and I need to make her a glamour enchanted bracelet so she can... you know... interact with the world at large."

Robert immediately exploded into laughter and for a good two minutes the man was unavailable to the world. I calmed Marcie down by telling her that Uncle Bob was a strange fucking man and that she shouldn't be offended.

When the warlock finally calmed down enough to speak he exclaimed, "I was supposed to enjoy my retirement, Nicolas. The Terror of New Orleans was to wither and die here in Sunnydale but that went down the drain when you stumbled into my life. My young apprentice starts killing Master Vampires for their fangs, frightens the local demon populace, and surrounds himself with power I wish I had in my younger days. Tell me Nicolas... how many more potentially powerful strays will you pick up?"

I wasn't quite sure what to make of the man's. I hadn't heard of his nickname, and frankly... damn how much cooler than Ripper is that, but I certainly was going to research it.

"As many as need my help I guess. _Can_ we help her?"

"Easily, boy. Go find some bloodroot, a base bracelet, and my athame to cut you and the girl with."

I pulled Marcie with me to the basement when the girl asked, "Why does the strange man need to cut us, Nick?"

"It's to tie the enchantment to both you and me. I'll provide the power that keeps it running and your blood is to make the glamour look like you."

The girl was quiet for a bit, stubbornly refused to let go of my arm, and said "Ok. Then what?"

"Then you have your life back Marcie. You get do whatever you want."

Of course if you don't know what you want yet Marcie... I may have ideas.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 049: June 14th, 1997-C*

"How does it feel, Marcie?"

"I can see myself in the mirror again!"

The not-so-invisible girl hugged me again and kept muttering her thanks while I gently tried to extract myself from her death grip. I was saved when Uncle Bob walked over to us and demanded to know some things.

"I have questions for the invisible girl, boy."

I turned towards Marcie and asked her, "Do you feel up to answering some questions?"

"Yes, no problem. Can I eat my sandwich while we do that?"

The warlock didn't object to that and walked off to his office knowing the girl would follow. Marcie looked at me and chased after him when I nodded.

When both of them disappeared into the office I considered the implications of having an unnoticeable girl working for me. Granted... I hadn't brought that up yet but I was confident the girl would want to help me out.

In the original plotted timeline of the show the invisible girl was shown to be taken to some government facility. Presumably to turn her into some sort of assassin that works for a shady organization. To be frank I wasn't even sure that Wolfram &amp; Heart wasn't involved in this. Considering their penchant for super natural assassins... would it be such a stretch to think Marcie would have ended up there?

Either way; now I have access to a potential game changer things are starting to look up. I'll need to verify it with Liam later but I have a sneaking suspicion her powers work on the local creepy crawlies as well. Especially considering the likely notion the girl has been following me around.

If that's the case... well maintaining order over Sunnydale's demon populace just became infinitely easier. If I let the rumors fester that I have an invisible, undetectable, and most of all scary _thing _working for me... well I'd like to see the size of the balls of whatever creature would stand up to me.

The first and most obvious thing I'd have the girl do would be to gather intelligence on the biggest bad of Sunnydale. My actions during the past week must have certainly put me on the Mayors radar which meant that sooner or later I'd be forced to deal with the man.

Whether that means a violent confrontation or a negotiated settlement was something I needed more information to judge. If I could stand allying, or at least stay out of each other's way, things would progress much more swiftly. His tacit approval would keep a variety of baddies away but the thought burned in the back of my mind that I wasn't interested in that.

I could never trust the man.

Not because he was a psychopath who built Sunnydale as a shrine to the Hell Mouth. No... the issue was that his greatest desire was to be the Avatar to the Olvikan; a snake-like Old One who rampaged across the Americas in the Primordial Age.

There are two possible outcomes for that scenario. Either the bastard maintains control and gets to ride around in a very hard to kill body which may or may not be immortal. Or the fool unleashed the Old One and we'd all see the world burn in months.

I didn't like my odds with either of those.

The easiest fix would be to kill the man. It would be a simple and straight forward solution to my problem. The reason I hadn't already taken measures in that direction wasn't out of some misplaced sense of morality. Killing the bastard wouldn't cause me any grief in the emotional sense.

I couldn't just off the man yet because he is the glue that ties the demonic factions in Sunnydale together. Without him I'd be faced with immediate chaos. Creatures would spring up from the woodworks to challenge each other for the right to rule and impose tributes. I couldn't let that happen to sooner or later they'd all band together to take _me _down. After which of course they would all go back to butchering each other until a new status quo would be reached.

The power vacuum of the Mayor's demise would likely kill me faster than the abstract threat the man offered. I'd have to walk a tightrope of epic proportions to keep the man off my back but not my enemy and I certainly wasn't sure I could make that happen.

**XxXXxX**

**June 14th, 1997**

"Keep turning the line of attack, Nick. Force your enemies to keep readjusting to your moves instead of the other way around. Don't do _that_."

Liam punctuated that last bit when he predicted where I had tried to jump to, landed there before I did, and stuck a sword through my thighs. As always the sharp pain gave me a short power boost and I managed to grab Liam's sword handle with my offhand. I dragged the sword to the side, felt my flesh rend some more, and used the released magic to cast a _Flash Bang_. The spell erupted in between the two of us and threw us clear across the room.

I could faintly hear Xander tell Buffy while I busied myself with healing my wounds, "Aren't they taking it a bit far?"

"Nick asked for this, Xander. He said he'd rather bleed a bit now than end up dead later... and I see his point."

"What! Tell me you're not planning on joining the 'training from Hell' Buffster?"

"Look at him. Two weeks ago he couldn't move like that. This time room helps but still... "

"Oh."

"I'm not going to let him get ahead of me Xander."

My leg, sight, and hearing had completely healed and I jumped up to my feet to see that Liam was still struggling to get his senses back to working order. I closed the distance between us and swung the flat of my axe at the undead man's shoulders.

Liam anticipated the move, blocked the assault with one of his arms, and retaliated with his other by punching me in the throat. The jab to my trachea left me unable to breathe properly but I had learned enough to disengage immediately. I jumped back out of Liam's reach, got my _Bank Safe _rolling while I played keep-a-way, and finally barreled straight into the vampire when I saw an opening.

I got Angel off balance, connected with my elbow to his jaw, and when both of us fell on the ground I continued punching. I managed to rain five other punches on his face before Liam twisted to get me under him and suddenly I was the punching bag.

I woke up on top of a bunch of tables when Buffy was thrown on top of me.

_Fuck._

Liam knocked me the fuck out.

Out of reflex I immediately set my _Bank Safe_ to work and settled in to watch Buffy and Liam duke it out. The sheer difference in physical skill between the two was obvious. Liam was technically far more gifted and ably kept Buffy from pinning him down with her superior strength. Seeing Buffy on the receiving end of a close combat monster like Angel was _enlightening_.

The girl seemingly got stronger and faster as the fight progressed. It wasn't that Liam was getting slower or even tired, vampires don't do tired, but he was steadily losing ground. Buffy kept coming back up in his reach every time he managed to throw her clear of him. I got the sense that Liam couldn't risk keeping the Slayer in reach and Buffy was doing everything she could to stay in her sweet spot.

Unfortunately the Slayer _does _get tired and the moment the blond girl made a mistake she got punished for it severely. A combination of blows, kicks and throws later and Buffy lay groaning on the floor.

Liam turned towards me, put on his demonic visage, and softly said, "Are you tired, Nick? Do you want to _reset _the room to get rid of your _achiness_?"

I was just about to reply when the vampire blurred and was on top of me.

_Fuck_.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 050: June 14th, 1997-D*

"Always make sure to keep your axe swinging Nick. You need to feel out the edge of your range and _never _stop swinging because then I'll do _this._"

Angel took advantage of my miscalculated hit on his shield. The knockback from the hit halted my axe and Liam's sword darted through my undefended underbelly. The pain gave me a short burst of energy which enabled me to jump back, let my perpetually on _Bank Safe _absorb the damage, and retaliate before the first drop hit the ground.

I swung my axe over my shoulder while I twisted around, Angel's shield went up to deflect the hit, and I twisted back the other way to cut at Liam's leg. The axe found purchase and was embedded halfway into the vampire's thigh. Liam's shield came down on top of my axe to keep me from pulling it back while I kicked at it to make the vampire stagger back.

I freed my axe but didn't raise it up quick enough to parry the sword coming at my shoulder. Instead I turned slightly to catch the edged weapon obliquely on my shoulder, felt my magic kick in to heal the admittedly deep scratch, and continued moving around Liam.

The vampire healed quickly but never as fast as I could. I took advantage of his lack of mobility to dart left and right into his range landing hit after hit on his shield. Angel didn't have any chance to use his sword in retaliation as my furious assault kept pushing the vampire back. When after eight consecutive hits I had the undead Irishman against the wall I started varying my swings some more.

High, low, middle, low, high again.

The last swing broke the shield; Liam's sword came up but caught on the shaft on my axe, I continued the attack despite the interruption and saw the edge of my axe cut keep into Angel's shoulder.

He knew my follow up kick was coming but couldn't get out the way fast enough to dodge it. My kick landed on his knee, caused the vampire to sink to the floor, and gave me enough purchase to withdraw my axe.

A final swing and I embedded the axe into the wall next to Liam's head.

"Like this?"

I was glibly smug but after the repeated beatings the vampire inflicted on me... who could blame me?

Liam ignored the tone and simply said, "Yes."

I turned towards Buffy to ask her to reset the room for us. Before I could get out a word the girl anticipated my request and slammed the cup time-spell was tied to on the ground.

All of us appeared back on the stairs when Xander spoke up.

"So... how much longer are we staying in limbo?"

Buffy looked over at me and shrugged, "I'm not ready to quit yet."

I smiled my widest smile and replied, "Same. Want to go another round with me?"

"Of course, Nick. I need a pick me up anyways."

The Slayer had so far bested me forty six out of our sixty fights. I took that to mean that I was steadily improving. Buffy on the other hand saw it as her beating the ever loving shit out of me.

The two of us ignored Xander's whining that two subjective days was too long as we faced off for our sixty first sparring match.

Buffy was her hyper aggressive self and charged me with reckless abandonment. Liam's admonishment to the girl to keep her head together was entirely wasted every time Buffy faced off with me.

She simply couldn't bear _not _slapping me around like a ragdoll and to take me seriously.

The blond Slayer wielded my Clementia and attempted to make me retreat by unleashing a flurry of swings on me. I mercilessly abused the one thing I had the girl beat on. I employed my speed to dart in and out of her range, parrying a thrust by catching it on one of my downswings, and continued swinging my axe to mark out the little death zone I was building with it.

I swung the axe above my head, turned it around in mid swing, and caught the girl's sword again. Buffy recovered terribly fast and managed to kick at my leg when she swung low. The kick connected with my thigh and made me tumble to the ground. Her follow up kick threw me across the room but the two bruises healed before I landed on the ground.

I rolled with the throw and ended up on my knees just before hitting a desk painfully. I jumped up and back towards the desk, felt it move under my impact, and jumped back off towards the incoming Buffy.

I growled as loud as I could, watched as Buffy's eyes widened from the perpetually effective roar, and swung my axe right at her face. The Slayer threw herself backwards and rolled back onto her feet. I didn't let the girl recover beyond that and unleashed a series of hits on her shield.

Making the girl retreat was a far harder objective than maneuvering Liam out of the way. Thankfully that wasn't my end goal. I just needed the Slayer to continue being occupied with adjusting her shield to my swings to notice me making a grab for her sword. I swung high, turned it into a lower swing, and twisted my entire body around to feint out the Slayer.

The blond girl fell for it, screwed her up usual precise footwork, and stumbled back when a full powered axe swing threw her backwards. I continued the downswing with one hand while my other darted out to grab the handle of Clementia. I pulled at it just as Buffy realized what I was doing and met my efforts with a kick to my face.

I woke up a few seconds later to the sight of Buffy standing over me while extending her hand.

"Damn. That was close, Nick! Still though... that's forty _seven _for me!"

**XxXXxX**

**June 14th, 1997**

"I curse you, Nick. I spit on your apologies!"

I wasn't quite sure if Xander meant that or if he was joking but I could understand the sentiment. We had been stuck in the time chamber for the past week. At least in our perception of time it was a week. For Giles and Uncle Bob mere minutes might have passed.

"Look. I didn't know the 'key' to getting out of this would have changed."

"And that makes this alright?"

I sighed deeply and replied, "No... but all we can do is keep trying to find a way out. We've narrowed it to Buffy and the cup."

"We knew that from day one!"

"Instead of complaining how about you pitch in to think up a solution Xander."

"That! When you say my name... why do you _always _say it so strangely?"

For fucks sake...

"I'm a foreigner, Xander, stop being so damn prissy about it."

"I don't see you screwing up anyone else's name! So what gives?"

Ahhhh.

"It's because I'm Dutch you insipid fool. Xander is a _really _fucking common name there. Suck it up."

I turned back towards the rest of the group and heard Xander start his admittedly well deserved diatribe towards me again. I snapped, picked up the cup, and threw it full strength at Xander. The cup impacted him in his gut and the door to that led out of the base opened.

What.

_Oh._

_Oh god._

The room kept resetting because Buffy _wasn't _the one who was supposed to perform an _act _with the cup. Every time she did _I _was the one who failed.

Whoops.

"So... we can leave now people."

I was met with a sea of condemning eyes, even from my own lads, and sagged slightly under the tidal wave of reproach.

Buffy quietly asked, "Did your master _anticipate _you'd throw that at Xander?"

"Pleading the fifth is a thing, right? Let's get out before we're stuck again."

This time everyone streamed out of the basement and was met with the sight of Giles and Uncle Bob in a quiet little stare off over a chessboard. The only odd thing about the sight was that neither of them had moved more than a single pawn.

I was just about to ask what was going on when someone walked through the door.

The demon strode into the building, looked towards me, and said, "H-h-hello? My name is Clem and I was volunteered to come tell you something, oh rising lord."

All I could do was smile.

I _loved _the sound of that.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	6. Chapter 6

*Chapter 051: June 14th, 1997-E*

I took stock of the demon that went by the diminutive of Clem. The creature was all droopy skin and large floppy ears. From what I knew about him the demon fed on emotions, was generally nonviolent and liked kittens. In the sense that he enjoyed how their bones crunch in his mouth filled with sharp rows of teeth.

I spoke in calm growled tones and pointed towards the door leading to the cellar, "**Good evening, Clement. Why don't you head over to the basement? I'll be with you in a moment**."

The demon awkwardly waved towards the other people in room, who stubbornly ignored him as we had discussed, and walked over to the basement. I started handing out nicely worded orders before Clem disappeared into the cellar. I needed to have to him hear me and if my estimation of him was right... he'd likely be listening in from the other side of the door.

I turned towards Andrew and said, "**Bravo, go make us some tea if you would, bring the liverwurst and chips as well**."

I continued but this time directed my attention towards Buffy, "**Slayer; if you and Angel could patrol the neighborhood for **_**irregular **_**activities, I would greatly appreciate it.**"

Buffy didn't respond for a painstaking two seconds but eventually nodded and walked out.

Lastly I turned towards Robert and grinningly told him, "**If you hear screaming; do not be alarmed.**"

I felt Marcie dropping her glamour and walking over to me. When the girl reached me I grabbed for her arm, pulled her in close, and whispered, "I need you to stay out here, dear. His kind might be able to sense you."

I felt the girl nod and take up position by the door. Lovely girl.

Andrew came back with his errands and followed me down to basement. When I got there Clem was seated next to one of the bigger tables but rose abruptly when I walked in. I let the growl in the chest rumble faintly and kept the sound going.

My techno-mage set the table for us without needing to be prompted and studiously ignored Clem's eyes on him. When he was done Andrew turned towards me and froze. I let the moment hang but nodded once Clem took his eyes of the boy. I stayed quiet until Andrew left the basement and then afterwards stayed quiet some more.

Excepting my perpetual growl of course!

It was a full fifteen seconds before Clement finally spoke up, "I-I love what you've done with the place."

Right.

I certainly wasn't going to engage him if he insisted on this pointless chatter. The creature had a purpose and it best get to it quick.

My only response was a slight increase my rumbling chest cavity.

"T-thank you f-for the liverwurst... it is m-my favorite."

I smiled a toothy smile but still didn't reply beyond lowering my faint growl a little.

" B-but you already knew that... "

What was it I was getting from the creature? It didn't exactly feel comfortable, especially considering the way it kept moving his hands around awkwardly, but it couldn't fear me _this_ much already... could it?

Clement sighed, looked like he was getting ready to rip the bandage off in one go, and said, "T-there is a n-new small group of vampires in town. They've been setting up in the blood dens for the past two days. That wouldn't be interesting news though; what would be is the Orpheus trade they have brought with them."

Interesting.

Sunnydale was from the day it was constructed practically tailor made for vampires. I knew that this was mostly attributed to the Mayor but could never really ascertain why the man felt the need to provide for the vamps. Perhaps he needed a minimum threshold of deaths in his domain to power his long term goals... or maybe it was even more sinister then that.

That wasn't exactly my concern though.

The issue was that apparently in all that time there hasn't been much of an Orpheus trade. The drug that works by getting a human hooked and high who then can transfer the apparently exquisite high... to any vampire who drank from him or her. It was basically heroin for those without functioning veins.

The fact that a group of vampires, albeit not very sizable apparently, was busy setting up in Sunnydale mere days after I made an 'entrance' in the demonic underworld was beyond suspicious to me. The only obvious conclusion I could draw was the Mayor was testing me through a cats-paw.

I couldn't be certain of course but it did have kind of a particular elegance. Every scenario this played out would likely work in the man's favor. Either I bust in and clean up the operation... in which case nothing changes in the status quo but the Mayor gets valuable intelligence on how I operate. Or I do nothing in which case I take a sizable hit to my reputation.

Despite not indicating that I intended to rule anyone but those already in my 'employ' it appeared the local demons were already casting me as a free-holding lord. Not acting at all would not fall in what they would deem acceptable and it might even cause the bolder amongst them to seek me out to challenge me directly.

I took a sip from my tea and said, "**I see. Why have you come to me with this, Clement?**"

"The guys, I mean everyone who was at Willies that night, thought it best if you found out from us. Instead of... you know... stumbling across it yourself, your lordship."

That rather fell in line with what I expected of them. I stayed quiet and didn't respond though in hopes that the demon would spew some more information. My faint growl was of course perpetually present.

A few seconds later he did.

"They- uhh... we, sir, are all very curious how you intend to... engage with our insular community."

Did he sincerely expect me to proclaim some edicts? What make him think he's entitled to know whatever it is I have in store for them?

"A-and they... we... believe and hope fervently that you would accept our plea to rid our home of these... interlopers. We know the damage the Orpheus trade causes and the chaos that follows in its wake. The turf wars in LA over the drug would certainly spill over to... Sunnydale."

I did nothing but continue to growl and grin.

"Uhh... certainly your lordship would not allow the interlopers to-."

I cut off the demons stammering, "**Are you presuming to know what I would or wouldn't allow, Clement?**"

The demon seemed to give the impression of paling and froze. I was fairly certain it stopped breathing and I couldn't help but notice how its eyes started darting around the room. Presumably to try and find another, easier to access, exit.

When the demon resumed breathing after it was obvious I wasn't going to incinerate it the creature responded.

"N-no y-y-your l-lordship! I apologize for my utter presumption!"

A part of me wanted to let the sorry and basically harmless creature off the hook but most of me knew that was a terrible idea. Letting it pass the message I was soft wouldn't reflect well on me... or help at all with keeping my people safe.

Instead I watched the creature as it started shaking when I increased the volume of my growl significantly. I slowly raised my arm, saw Clem flinch and then flinch again when he noticed he flinched, and calmly placed it on the table.

I smiled widely and said, "**Get out, Clement.**"

The pasty demon jumped up, ran towards the stairs, and promptly froze again. It turned towards me, bowed once, and raced up the stairs. A handful of seconds later and I could hear it leave out of the front door. I followed it upstairs when I knew for certain the creature had left the premise.

"So... I have some upsetting news, people."

I explained, mostly to Giles and Robert, what exactly occurred in the basement. I told them of my suspicions towards the mysterious character who orchestrated the vampire friendly tendencies of Sunnydale. Robert was watching me with his keen eyes and I knew that he knew that I knew who was behind that. He also knew I wasn't mentioning it and let Ripper flounder about with his 'theories'.

After we let Giles blather on for a bit I spoke up again.

"I believe that this character is testing us. He or she is trying to ascertain how we'd, how I would, respond to this... frankly speaking... insult. This personage has kept this truly awful drug away from Sunnydale for decades despite being a stone throws away from LA where it's earning massive revenues."

Giles immediately picked up where I was going with this and made me feel fractionally bad for thinking so little of him from time to time.

"You think this, well let's call him ruler, has allowed or at the very least looked the other way when this group settled in?"

Robert piped in with, "Of course that's what my boy means. I thought they taught you lads in the Academy what's what but like always... you Watchers live to-."

I interrupted what could be nothing more than a terrifying confrontation between to two when I said, "I'll need to put a stop to it regardless but considering the victims of the drug aren't the type that are concerned with their survival... I don't see why I should. We can afford waiting it out for a while and seeing how the vamps organize themselves."

At that moment Buffy and Liam walked in and made their announcement.

Buffy, as always, immediately took the lead and said, "There were two vampires watching us, Nick. One of them muttered something about being confused before we staked him."

I was utterly pleased as a pickle the Slayer had obeyed me earlier in earshot of the demon but the fact that she was addressing her findings to me instead of her Watcher was wonderful. Many tingly feelings were had.

"Would you know what he was confused about, Buffy?"

The girl raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, do you remember my name now?" I simply kept staring at the girl when she relented and continued, "Yea. He said he had permission from the big guy."

Robert immediately turned towards Giles and said in the most sickeningly sweet and patronizing voice, "My boy called it."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 052: June 14th, 1997-F*

"I say we go out and dust them now!"

Buffy wasn't interested in the slightest in my wait and see approach. I did understand her position; the Slayer didn't want to let anyone suffer, not even junkies who seek out death. It did however put me in an awkward position.

I needed the Slayer to stay well disposed towards me but at the same time I could afford her rushing in and causing me untold trouble in the process. In short... I needed to compromise with the girl

Before I could though Liam spoke up, "I agree with Nick, Buffy."

The blond girl flashed him a betrayed look and immediately exclaimed, "Why?"

"We don't know anything about them. We know even less about the empath demon that told us about this new group of vampires. Going in blind won't do us much good, Buffy."

I was tempted to let the confrontation between the vampire and the Slayer continue but I decided to settle for the fact Liam backed my plan... even against Buffy.

"Buffy. I'd like for us to remain on the same page on this... .so perhaps a compromise?"

Buffy turned towards me, crossed her arms, and motioned for me to continue.

"We could hit one of their dens now, dust most of them, and ask some pointed questions to the ones that live. Afterwards we'll see how they respond and we can finish them off completely tomorrow."

The tension in the room rose as all eyes of everyone present in the magic shop turned to Buffy.

"Fair enough, Nick. I know you just want to keep unpleasant surprises to a minimum but I just _can't _let these people suffer if I can stop it."

I smiled my widest smile and replied, "Got it, Buffy." I turned towards Giles and continued, "Could you escort everyone home while the three of us go hunting for vamps?"

Marcie walked over to me after Giles nodded in the affirmative and asked to speak with me alone. The girl dragged me over to the basement and started her torrent of words.

"I don't want to go home, Nick. I _really _don't want to face my... let's call them parents."

Before I could ask her to elaborate the girl simply started talking over me.

"I know what you're going to say... they are my parents and I should let them know I'm fine. But they don't _care_! My mom... I hung around her for a while and saw her cry... _once _before she went back to drinking with her stepford friends_. _Yes, some people deal with their grief differently but _fuck _that! My dad didn't even cut his business trip short. He came home two _weeks _after I disappeared. I just... I'm not going back but I don't know what to do... "

The girl's voice trailed off when she started sniffling and I did the only thing I could think of. I pulled the girl into a hug and just held her as her the sobs wrecked through her body. After a handful of minutes the girl pulled it together and waited expectantly for my answer.

"You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to... so until you figure things out you can stay at my place, Marcie. Andrew and Jonathan are there too so I'm kinda out of beds. The couch is comfortable enough though and we'll find you a bed tomorrow, alright?"

The girl started rapidly exclaiming, "Thank you!"

I managed to cut that short when I told her to tag along with Drew while I went out hunting.

**XxXXxX**

**June 14th, 1997**

Buffy, Liam and I finally reached our destination. The blood dens we visited earlier didn't smell at all like what Liam assured me the drug smelled like. Instead of kicking of a hornets' nest we could just fairly easily ignore, despite Buffy wanting to 'free' the people inside, we simply continued looking for another den.

"This is it, Nick. How do you want to do this?"

I considered the problem for a moment, was pleased to notice that Buffy didn't challenge me on the subject of tactics, and spoke up after a few seconds.

"You and Buffy crash in through the front door. Try to dust any vampire that is noticeably intoxicated; only low level grunts would partake themselves, and I'll crash through one of the windows. Give me thirty seconds to draw the vamps upstairs though... if we can keep the fight on the first floor they can't escape readily."

Buffy gave my plan the Slayer seal of approval. "Sounds good!"

Not that I expected anything else; the girl simply _thrived _on open conflict. Give her something concrete to kill and she was amazingly in her element. Liam just nodded and quietly prepared for the coming fight.

I started running, built up some speed, and made it to the roof of the three stories high building in a single bound. My axe hung on my back in a lovely holster Uncle Bob gave me, my shotgun was firmly in my off hand, and I wore my brass knuckle bruisers with the crosses on them. I made my entrance into the building by swinging from the edge of the roof down through the boarded up windows.

Thankfully it wasn't reinforced and I crashed right through the window. The room I found myself in was dirty, grimy and generally smelled awful. By sheer luck however I had landed in the room where the gang kept their supply. I quickly pocketed a handful of the little see through bags and set the rest of the crates it was kept in on fire with a quick _**Ignis Sanguis. **_I slightly miscalculated and jumped back from the noxious looking gas that rose from the crates and kicked through the room's door to escape from them.

In the hallway I was met by a noticeably dazed and drugged up dude. I could hear his heartbeat pounding an upsettingly irregular beat so all I did to the man was punch him in the throat. The guy crashed to ground but didn't make any sounds beyond a low gargle.

I stepped of the guy and walked through the rest of the hallway. I peeked through the only other door in the corridor and saw two vampires munching on a delirious young girl. I _rushed _into the room, drew my wrist stake, and embedded it in the nearest vamps heart when he tried to jump up. The creature exploded into dust and its companion tried to run past me screaming.

The odd behavior didn't faze me in the slightest and when the creature passed me I jabbed the little wooden stake I had attached to my shotgun through its heart. I looked down at the girl, felt a flash of pity, but simply walked off. The two vamps I had dusted were easy pickings... _why was I denying this drug to the local vamps again?_

In the distance I heard Liam and Buffy presumably kick the crap out of the vampires in the lobby while I descended from the stairs. Before I made it to the lower floor another two vampires ran upstairs. These two didn't look half as stoned so my first response was to empty my shotgun into them.

The first caught fire almost immediately but the second managed to shield himself from the flames by using the body of the first. When the burning vampire dusted the other one jumped through its ashes and was met by a kick to its face.

I followed up the kick by jumping off the stairs on top of him. I dropped the shotgun and pulled my axe in my midair. Just before I landed on him the undead bastard twisted out of the way and launched itself into the corridor.

I chased after the creature, caught up with it as it stumbled, and cut with a powerful swing at its knees. The vampire collapsed, screamed in agony, and held on to my axe. I fell on the fallen demon and started pummeling its face and smirked in satisfaction as I left cross shaped indentations. The creature finally let go of the axe and I pulled it back only to finish my earlier attempt and cut through its knee.

I disentangled myself from the bastard, jumped over it, and darted back in to claim the arm it tried to ward off my axe with. Now I had it incapacitated I took my time and a few seconds later all that was left of the vamp was its upper body... some stumps and its head. I knelt down, held open its mouth with the butt of my axe, and ripped out its fangs.

I reached into my duster and pulled out one of the ropes I had stowed away in there. It was already twisted into a hangman's noose and all I had to do was tighten it over the vamps neck. I used the rest of the rope to gag the vampire and threw it into an empty room.

_This vampire was going to be the message I'd send._

**XxXXxX**

**June 14th, 1997**

"Liam, did you find any cash?"

The vampire smiled an uncharacteristic grin and showed off his bulging jacket.

I just burst into elated laughter and said, "Wonderful!"

Buffy didn't see it that way though and piped up with, "I don't like this... this is blood money."

"I'm sorry Buffy but your upper middle class sensibilities are showing. Money doesn't stink, silly Slayer."

The girl glared at me and replied, "I don't like your _slave _either Nick!"

For the love of god!

"It's not my slave Buffy... we've already agreed on this... _remember_?"

The Slayer didn't reply but chose to simply huff instead. I didn't bother explaining my reasoning _again _and just kept walking in silence. After I minute I decided I couldn't let the girl stew on it so I set out to distract her.

"You know Buffy... both Liam and I are faster than you are. Maybe you should piggyback on him so we can run faster?"

I could have sworn I heard Liam chuckle, which triggered my mad laughter, and after a few seconds, even Buffy came around and grinned with us.

"I notice you aren't offering to carry me, Nick? Am I too heavy for you?"

I desperately tried to hold it in but failed spectacularly, "Yes."

The girl bristled for a moment but calmed down when I continued, "Also, I'm carrying my _slave_."

Liam cut in before the two of us could continue our snark-off, "We've arrived."

This time the plan was for Liam to run into Willy's bar, dust the closest vampire, and just generally look a lot like Angelus. Buffy would follow immediately after, dust herself another vampire, or if there wasn't one... through the nearest demon across the room.

I patiently waited a minute, used the time to unravel the leash gagging the vampire, ignored its mewling supplications and stuffed its mouth with the packets of Orpheus.

"**Drop them out of your mouth when I throw you in. Or don't and see what I'll do to you.**"

I walked through the now ajar door and surveyed the damage Liam and Buffy had done. Buffy had taken up her position on top of the bar counter again and held up Willy by his shoulders. Liam was leaning extremely casually against a wall whilst staring the entire bar down.

When I walked in though all eyes focused on me and the whispered chattering ceased immediately. I threw the vampire in the little clearing that was supposed to be the dance floor and watched as the pathetic creature coughed up his bags of Orpheus. I hadn't ordered him to do anything else but he turned towards me and started begging.

Why the creature wanted to live in such a sorry state I didn't know. I didn't care either.

I nodded towards Buffy and Liam, watched in amusement as Buffy strutted around, and eventually saw both of them walking out. I let my perpetual growl die out slowly and followed them out.

Words weren't necessary.

Not when the crippled vampire was doing all the talking and tearful thanking.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 053: June 14th, 1997-G*

The three of us walked back to my car after our little show of force in Willy's bar. Buffy kept giving me side long glances and I suspected she still wasn't entirely comfortable with what she called my 'brutality' against soulless demons.

I knew I'd need to sit down and have an extended conversation with the girl about it. My heightened body language reading skills would handily assist in figuring out how to best way to lay out my argument. Until then I'd simply have to settle for whatever cooperation I could wrangle from the girl on the fly.

We were close to my car when I smelled the strangest smell I'd ever come across.

"Liam... do you smell that?"

The vampire didn't respond. I turned to look at him and was surprised to see he was frozen into a statue. Unfortunately so were Buffy... and the entire world around me.

_God damn it._

I knew my reprieve from interference from the Powers couldn't last but if the fools thought their pretty mind-constructs would impress me they'd have another thing coming.

I growled out in clipped tones, "**You can come out now**."

The figure leaning in the shadow against the building I had just passed started slow clapping.

"Well well... well. I'd say this is a pleasure but that would be fibbing."

The man walked out of the shadow and the moment I saw his ugly ass hat I knew who I was dealing with. It was that _half breed _Whistler; colloquially known as the Power's little bitch.

"**Likewise Whistler...**"

"What? Aren't you curious about why I'm here?"

Not really.

Beyond my faintly rumbling chest I stayed quiet and settled in for a stare-off with the half breed.

Whistler eventually tired of our staring contest and spoke up, "You're a little conundrum Primal boy. Congratulations! You're the first mortal to throw the Powers for a loop for well over a week!"

I don't know what I found so funny about that statement. I guess it simply tickled me just right and the moment the man was finished speaking I exploded in laughter. I saw through my tears that Whistler's face began to cloud with anger but I simply couldn't stop.

I was an OCP for the Powers and I doubted they dealt with those nicely. If I didn't laugh... well that didn't bear thinking about.

"You impertinent child... do you think this is a game?"

I finally managed to get a handle on myself and said, "**No. I think you are a joke.**"

The half breed crossed the distance between us before I could quite process what happened. Whistler had me pulled up by the shoulders and threw me against the building he had been leaning on. I may have been caught by surprise but my instinctive response of firing up a _Fortress _saved me from several broken bones.

I slowly got on my feet when I noticed Whistler didn't follow up his attack.

Instead he menacingly said, "I am eternal, mortal! I was there when your kind built their first civilization! I have been ensuring your kind _has _a future and if you speak to me in that fashion again I'll ensure you _don't _have one."

"**Ancient Greece was our first civilization? That's news to me.**"

The balance demon blanched as much as his kind could and I watched in amusement as his face contorted into a sneer.

"**Referring to your immortality as being eternal while giving the impression you've been around forever. Saying you was there when we built our first civilization and you imply you mean mankinds instead of Western civilization... do these half truths **_**ever **_**work out for you?**"

This time I was ready for his charge but decided to _not _act on it. If my suspicions were right he _couldn't _hurt me. Not by himself at least and certainly not before he broke completely with the powers. I did all I could to repress my reflexive application of _Fortress _and was rewarded when Whistler came to an abrupt stop in front of me.

I didn't say a word but kept my toothiest grin pasted on my face. I had his number now.

Suddenly the half breed's entire demeanor _shifted _drastically and he was smiling just as widely as I was.

"You really are an interesting one aren't you, young Primal?"

I didn't even bother replying. I knew I had very little options in a genuine conflict against the creature. It simply outstripped in power to such an extent that resistance _truly _was futile. My only edge was my knowledge and that well was promptly drying up in the face of an actual precognitive. I assumed he simply underestimated me before our conversation but he was now _as we spoke _running through potential futures.

I made a _resolution _to stop offering any information.

Whistler's demeanor _shifted _again and this time I swear I could detect a little real annoyance in his voice.

"Fine. I'll be as direct with you as my nature allows. You broke the future. The Powers are offering to make a deal with you to fix it."

I replied with a single word, "**Oh?**"

The abomination was quiet for a moment, lit up a cigarette and failed to offer me one, and took a long ass drag.

"The Powers had great plans for Angel. Most of those plans you have immensely derailed, boy."

Is he trying to get me to offer up some more information? What was he planning? I could somewhat grasp the Powers willingness to deal, Angel certainly pushed them around enough, but I didn't see what they could offer me.

"They're willing to send you home, boy, if you're willing to fix the damage you've caused."

I again replied with, "**Oh?**"

"Is that all you're going to say?"

I grinned some more and said, "**Oh.**"

I watched with immense pleasure as the half breed's cigarette crumbled in his tight grip. Hopefully I was getting to the creature.

"I was told to extend the offer to you. Consider it, boy. It's one of the more _pleasant _potential futures for you."

I attempted my one word reply again when Whistler simply interrupted me, "Yes, yes. _Oh. _The deal is simple; either get Angel to be our champion or take up his mantle."

I valiantly stopped myself from snorting out loud.

Whistler responded by laughing himself, "I know... why they think _you're _a hero I can't even fathom. You've only been here for a little over a month and already you've taken two human lives."

I was confused for a moment until I remembered in a flash what I did to the mook that held Willow capture. I had hit him with a pain curse and walked off before I could take it off of him. Of course that was before I knew it was so... lethal but still. It counted.

"On the other hand... maybe ruthlessness is the way to go. The Powers know I've had _close _encounters with how effective the proper application of force is."

I smiled another wide smile and knew the man was referring to his first row ticket to the big bombs that were dropped on Japan in the Second World War. Maybe that was when the guy had lost all hope and decided to enact his own plans in opposition to the Powers.

"In any case; that was offer young Primal. Do try to not perish before you make your choice. The Powers are patience incarnate but are decidedly not _patient_."

The world shifted back into focus and Buffy promptly walked into me... handily bowling me over while I was still reeling from what had happened.

"Hey!"

"Are you alright Nick? Is that... am I smelling that correctly... Nick?"

I pushed myself off the ground, landed on my feet, and firmly ignored Buffy as I turned towards Liam.

"Yes. He _tried_ to bully me. _Once_."

There wasn't any rule that I couldn't play with my own half truths and misdirection. The sheer surprise on Liam's face was simply to die for.

Buffy, as always, didn't take well to being ignored, "What's going on?"

"Sorry, Buffy, but that's kind of private. It's just not my secret to share."

The girl looked intrigued but seemed willing to let it be. Liam however didn't.

"Anything you can tell me about?"

I knew he wasn't asking about our supposed secret but Whistler's odd implied behavior.

"After I've given this some thought, Liam. Trust me when I say I'm definitely not keeping you out of this. Can you walk Buffy home? I _really _need to talk to Du Blanc."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 054: June 14th, 1997-H*

"I can't say I didn't see this coming, Nicolas."

Uncle Bob fell quiet for a moment, grinned, and continued. "So how do you plan on extracting yourself, boy? My apprentice wouldn't buckle to a little show of force... would you?"

Like hell I would.

The 'Powers That Be' are immensely powerful creatures. Supposedly they govern the balance of power in the reality I now inhabited. I say supposedly because I couldn't remember one single instance where the Powers got directly involved.

Their latest counterparts; the Senior Partners of the Wolf, Ram and Heart seemed far more willing and able to influence the worlds around them. That being said... I certainly wasn't going to outright antagonize them. They did manage to survive the Old Ones to a certain degree and kept their remnants from destroying _everything._

I smiled my patented 1000watt smile as my mentor and said, "I need a spell that'll help me remember something I saw years ago. Is that possible?"

Please tell me that's possible.

Robert du Blanc looked a little confused at the question but did manage to come up with an answer.

"Not exactly a spell, boy. It's more like a potion, yes I have the ingredients for it, and it'll take a few hours or so to put together."

I couldn't help but laugh madly at that point. I might actually stand a chance now.

"Excellent! I'll go home and consult my _notebook_. I need to figure out what my Patrons feel about this latest intrusion into... their whims I guess. I'll see you first thing in the morning, Robert."

We made our goodbyes but when I reached the door I turned back to my mentor.

"Sir... if this doesn't work out... I'm glad I had you for a teacher."

**XxXXxX**

**June 14th, 1997**

Andrew knew something was wrong immediately. Both he and Jonathan swamped me and demanded answers. It took some doing to convince the boys to let it be but I desperately _couldn't _afford dragging my lads into this.

I needed to sink or swim by myself.

When I reached my bedroom I jumped on top of my bed, fished the little black notebook out of the cabinet, and cut my finger on one of my teeth.

One drop, two drops and the final third drop landed on the book.

**SALUTATION'S MY/OUR MORTAL.**

The world snuffed out of existence or I was transported to a by now intensely familiar pit of Darkness. I couldn't say I had gotten used to the feeling but it no longer scared me to death.

It just made me borderline piss myself.

"I have been approached by the 'Powers That Be'."

**HOW DARE THOSE UPSTARTS/USURPERS!**

The booming voices came accompanied with intense levels of hatred, contempt and a touch of curiosity.

**YOU HAVE PLEASED US GREATLY MY/OUR MORTAL. DO NOT ALLOW THE UPSTARTS/USURPERS TO RULE YOU.**

"I-I won't but... maybe I could _pretend _to go along with them? As it stands they could squash me with nary a thought."

**YOU UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF MY/OUR MORTAL. YOU OVERESTIMATE THE UPSTARTS/USURPERS.**

This time voice felt highly amused. As if it was enjoying an _in-joke_. I also noticed they didn't answer me.

**PLAY YOUR GAMES WITH MY/OUR BLESSINGS. STAY YOUR PATH.**

I was forcibly ejected from the pit of Darkness and knew nothing until morning came.

**XxXXxX**

**June 15th, 1997**

My boys and Marcie were having breakfast in my living room enjoying a far better fair than I was used to. Marcie apparently was quite the cook and had prepared for us a veritable banquet of breakfast treats.

Unfortunately I couldn't partake.

"Ok, listen up people. Something _big _came up yesterday. I want you, Drew, to go by all three tattoo parlors in the area. Convince them to meet me at Uncle Bob's around noon... the price is irrelevant."

The boy nodded but I had already turned towards Jonathan, "You need to go round up a bunch of painters for me, I think four or five would be fine, and acquire their services for the day."

Marcie piped up then with, "What do I do?"

I smiled, wrote down an address, and said, "You need to go here and tell Liam to come to the Magic Shop this afternoon. After doing that continue with your practice, dear."

With all the order for my minions out of the way I headed towards Uncle Bob's. His magic potion to help me remember a certain set of runic symbols should be done by the time I arrived.

When I walked through the door Robert was already waiting for me and locked the door behind me.

"Whatever it is you're planning, Nicolas, I doubt you'd want any customers underfoot."

"Ah! Good thinking."

The two of us walked down to the cellar where the warlock had set up the preparation for my mental journey. Calming incense wafted through the air, candles were lit in strategic places, as an etched ritual circle around an inflatable mattress.

The mattress seemed oddly out of place but I didn't feel like commenting on it.

"This is a very simple ritual, boy. You drink the potion, fall asleep, and your mind will show you what you're looking for. I imagine this will take a few hours."

I nodded and waited until Robert left the basement, jumped over the circle and sat down on the mattress, and down the absolutely _disgusting _potion in one go. Immediately darkness assaulted me from all sides. Uncle Bob didn't warn me about the menacing shadows closing in on me.

I wasn't exactly quaking in fear, having had a face to my face with my patrons yesterday left me short on stocks of that particular emotion, but they didn't inspire any cuddly feelings either. The shadowy shapes stalked all around me, closing in with ever shrinking circular motions, and eventually reached the edges of the ritual ring.

One of their tendrils reached out the ring and that's when the world went bright. So very fucking bright it didn't leave any room in my mind but the brightness. It burned out _everything_ and it was the very last thing I consciously felt.

**XxXXxX**

**June 15h, 1997**

I woke up in a daze of sweat, excitement and a touch of glee. I had found what I was looking for and knew _exactly _how to work the ancient cloaking spell.

I couldn't help myself and for the second time in the past two days I erupted into mad uncontrollable laughter. Uncle Bob came crashing in through the door, took stock of the situation, and got an excited glint in his eyes.

"I take it you're well pleased, boy?"

A response was out of the question while I was still borderline insane with laughter but what must have been a handful of minutes later I got a grip on myself.

"Yes, Robert, I am."

"Good. There are a bunch of tattoo 'artists' here to see you."

How the man managed to express such deep oceans on contempt with the word artists would forever elude me. I couldn't focus on that though so I jumped out, ignored the brief dizzy spell, and followed the man out into the main area.

"Hi? Are you the one Mr. Wells was so adamant we'd see today?"

"Yes, I am. My name is Nicolas Blackwater and I have a job for you four."

It turned out that Andrew had already promised each of them double their usual fees as well as a nice little bonus for clearing out their days schedule and brining their equipment.

I was rather thankful I didn't have to deal with the logistics of that so instead I walked over to grab a bunch of papers, a drawing plate, and a pencil. I settled down into meditative pose, set the plate on my thighs, and started sketching for all I was worth.

I wasn't exactly in control of myself when I was drawing the runic symbols, the slight after affects of the potion as well as the meditative state I had permanently associated with the cross-legged pose, it was more like I was channeling the memory I had called up earlier.

In less than fifteen minutes I had in excruciating details reconstructed the runic cloaking spell. Every single symbol was perfect and all that was left now was to wait as the tattoo artists familiarized themselves with the work.

"Mr. Blackwater? You do know we can't finish this in one sitting, right? We'll have to wait for the ink to settle in and the areas around it to stop swelling."

I looked at the artist in the biker get-up, smiled widely, and stabbed my pencil into my lower arm. His eyes widened in shock but that was nothing compared to the expression on his face when the wound healed up perfectly under his gaze.

"This is why I had the four of you come. Anyone who's uncomfortable with the notion of working on someone who heals as fast as me..." I let my voice trail of for a moment before continuing, "Mr. Wells over there will hand you your fee for the consultation and I'll wish you well in the future."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 055: June 15th, 1997-A*

"Alright! Get the television going, Drew."

The sole tattooist who could stomach staying in spite of all the freakiness going on was finally finished. It had been a couple of painful hours. I didn't the mind that part, the pain meant very little, but the sheer boredom of being unable to move had been slowly getting to me.

The moment we had paid the artist his fees plus a substantial bonus for the weirdness we introduced into his life we started experimenting. Uncle Bob went to the back of the store, collected the tape he had in the security system, and played it for us.

Despite the grainy quality and tiny television screen we could easily make out the tattooist hunched over my half naked body tracing the symbols we had drawn all over me. We fast forwarded to the end of the tape, very briefly saw me pop out of existence, and rewound the tape again to see it in slow motion.

Andrew couldn't keep his eyes off the little screen, "Wow! This is amazing... "

"I know... look at that. I'm functionally invisible to anything that doesn't have eyes on me. I just fucking _love _magic."

Robert smiled indulgently but couldn't resist adding, "Which includes your precious Powers, Nick."

"Not _my _Powers, Robert. Besides it also covers me from the Wolf, Ram and Heart."

The Warlock turned towards me, nodded once, and motioned for Andrew to rewind the tape _again. _None of us could get enough of this...

"When is it my turn, Nick?"

Robert exploded into laughter and before I could reply he did, "Little pup. You haven't got the stamina to take that kind of spell. I doubt you'd last through the pain either."

I wanted to speak up for Andrew but a quick glance from Uncle Bob dissuaded me. I got the sense that he wasn't so much trying to upset the boy as he was trying to goad him on.

"Why?" The blond teens eyes narrowed a bit before he continued, "I'd appreciate it if you stopped treating me like I'm stupid, sir. I know what you're doing."

"Do you now, boy?"

Andrew looked briefly towards me and I guess he took comfort from my smile when he replied, "I already have a mentor. I'm not interested in another one. Sorry."

Holy crap.

When did Andrew develop brass balls like this? The boy was a far cry from the emotional wreck the television show would have me believe. I could _somewhat _attribute this to what we've been through in the past month but I had to admit that most of this must have come from himself.

Maybe he just never had someone push him to improve.

Robert froze momentarily but broke out in a smile as he replied, "Loyalty is hard to hold on to in this world, boy. I hope your mentor is worthy of yours."

I looked at Uncle Bob's retreating back after his kind reply and considered what this might mean. I was fairly certain neither Andrew nor Robert were talking about me. I was also quite certain Robert didn't really know about Miss Calendar. I'd have to ask the man later.

I was distracted from my musings by Liam walking in through the backdoor.

The vampires laconically greeted us, "Hello."

I replied equally short with a, "Hey Liam."

"Have you finished considering, Nick?"

"Yes I have! Let me get dressed first though before we go out to talk."

When I found and put on my shirt I motioned for Liam to follow me out of the shop so we could talk in private. We still hadn't had time to paint the magic shop with our shiny new runes yet. The painters were all back at my place where they were metaphysically debugging the place.

"Wouldn't the basement be more private?"

"And alert Whistler to my currently defenseless friend?"

The undead Irishman simply nodded, gave me a sidelong glance, and visibly decided against asking me about my tattoos.

"They are magic tattoos, Liam. They keep Seers, Powers and Gods sight away from me."

The vampire simply stopped walking at all after I had dropped that particular knowledge bomb on him. I wish I could read minds at moments like these... I guess I'd be forever curious what just went through his mind. Probably some variation of; when will I be an ancient enough vampire so I can have me some _magic _again.

Or maybe not.

"That's... are you sure you haven't been had? I haven't ever heard of any such spell work."

"Less than a year ago you hadn't heard about the Powers either."

The handsome vampire frowned but acknowledged my point. Instead of continuing along these lines I rushed headlong into the actual reason for our talk.

"The Powers want you back, Liam. They are willing to pay me handsomely if I consent to convincing you to be their little bitch again."

Angel frowned again and motioned for me to continue.

"The alternative is that I take up your role as 'champion'. I have to say... I find that option hilarious and I'm actually considering it if I can swing some terms."

Liam's frown wasn't showing any sign of going away when he sighed and said, "Do you know why they want me?"

"You're very pliable. Guilty men who are looking for redemption usually are. You're also far more powerful than most."

The vampire froze again and turned completely towards me. "That isn't pleasant to hear."

"I imagine it's not. Sorry."

The brooding vampire gave me a constipated look and said, "Am I doomed to be someone's pawn?"

The implication was obvious. I did understand the man's predicament thought... he simply had no reason to believe that I wasn't just as bad the Powers. The vampire didn't _know_ I wasn't simply another puppeteer tugging at his proverbial strings.

"In the end, Liam, all us _people _are pawns to these supposed gods. I don't intend on reducing you to an attack dog but you are right that I want to use you. You have the skills, the power to make a difference, and the will to see whatever your goal is through. I hope your goals coincide with mine."

I really did. I really... really didn't want to let Angel go. There simply wasn't going to be a comparable powerful force around that wouldn't mind _not _running the place.

I breathed in deeply and made the biggest gamble I had so far, "This is the part where things get super dangerous, Liam. So... in case something happens to me... "

_Shit_.

This was surprisingly hard to choke out.

"If I die... I want your word you'll keep an eye out on my people. At least until they outgrow this city. Wait, don't say anything yet!"

I took another deep breath and continued, "The trick is Mohra demon blood slathered over a handful of shallow wounds on your body. That's how you become human again."

I could feel the shock emanating from Liam but whatever he was about the reply with came out as a gurgle. Before I could entirely process the _fucking arrow_ that tore through Liam's throat I was collapsed onto my knees by the _thing _that fell on top of me.

I just barely managed to fire off a _Fortress _but it was cancelled immediately by a jab to the back of my head. I tried to push off from the ground to dislodge my passenger but before I could the figure landed hit after hit on my back driving me to the ground.

When my face hit the ground I felt another creature kick me in the ribs, the thing on top of me kept pummeling me, and the world became ever so slightly fainter. I suddenly felt Constantine's presence in the back of my mind and the little bugger brought the vestiges of my Primal with him.

I howled out a loud roar as I simply started convulsing and trashing about. I felt one of elbows impact on the figure on my back and threw it off me. My reprieve was short lived when something else pulled me up by my feet.

Before I could orient myself well enough to fire off a _Heat Death_ two vampires, and by now the smell had permeated the air around me, started using my head as a football.

The last thought I had before I passed out was 'how did I miss them?' followed by a vague familiar voice, "Well, aren't you and the poof just _terrible _at this?"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 056: June 15th, 1997-B*

I came to in a dark and dank room and found myself tied to a chair in the middle of it. When I looked around I couldn't see anything that gave me so much as a hint as to where I was being held. More disconcerting was the fact that Liam wasn't around.

I had no idea whether he was left in the alley, tied up somewhere else or simply dusted where he fell. My mind altered between castigating myself for my carelessness and wondering about why I was left alive.

After a few moments though I snapped out of my pity party and took stock of the situation. The vampires that took me down left me my bracelet which meant I still had a chance of getting myself out of this. The thought that any weapons I could have had on me would have been lost to me regardless was ruthlessly squashed. The immediate follow up musings about being made untraceable just before getting kidnapped were a little harder to shake.

My options were severely limited regardless. I could cast a _Heat Death _and cut through the chair I was tied to. Unfortunately that would make a _lot_ of sound and would certainly bring doom and gloom with it. It would also force me to cut and run _immediately _after escaping which would mean potentially leaving Angel behind.

The alternative of sitting tight and waiting to see why I was left alive was far more appealing.

I didn't have to wait long before a certain bat-shit insane vampire walked through the door. Drusilla was dreamily walking around me, creepily caressed me, and kept blathering about the dark hole I represented.

"Where is Liam?"

The crazy seer replied, "Father? You mustn't wonder about him empty puppy!"

"Why?"

The vampire slapped me on the back of hand but she didn't appear to put much strength behind it. After the soft tap she continued walking her circles around me while I reconsidered simply running away.

"Does your great grandfather have him?"

Drusilla firmly grasped me by the shoulder and embedded her nails into them seemingly absent mindedly. Perhaps sticking around wasn't my brightest move. I could be relatively certain Spike would be open to negotiation but it was even odds Drusilla wouldn't just kill me in a crazed fit.

"They are praying to the dark empty puppy. Now shush."

Thankfully Spike walked through the door and nicely asked Drusilla to vacate the premises. The insane seer got an exited look on her face and exclaimed she was going to find some children to chew on.

Fuck.

I'd like to say that bothered me intensely but... it didn't. Not when compared to my own possibly imminent end.

"So... you're the reason Angel has been acting the Big Bad, huh? I thought you'd be taller."

A positive avalanche of witty but cruel replies died while stuck in my throat. I wasn't a complete idiot despite what my mistakes might have been.

"Eh, you caught me on a Tuesday."

"It's Friday you nancy-boy."

"Oh. Perhaps you shouldn't have kicked me so hard."

Spike chuckled and showed what he thought of that by slapping me.

Hard.

"What do you want, William?"

The peroxide blond vampire smiled, leaned in closely and said, "What did the poof say about me? Did he regale you with tales of the death and destruction we caused?"

"All Liam had to say about you was that he liked your poetry. What did you do to him anyways?"

Spike affected a shocked expression and said, "Did he now? He never told me that."

I nodded slowly, sent a quick thank you to my earlier self for casting the memory ritual, and started reciting.

"_My soul is wrapped in harsh repose. Midnight descends in raven colored clothes. But soft, behold! A sunlight beam._"

This time Spike looked actually pleased and when I stopped to take a breath he impatiently gestured for me to continue.

"_A sunlight beam, cutting a swath of glimmering gleam. My heart expands, 'tis grown a bulge in 't, inspired by your beauty effulgent._"

The vampire actually clapped and said, "An appreciation for poetry huh. I almost feel bad about kicking your teeth out. How come your teeth are back in there anyways?"

You miss every shot you don't take so I took mine, "I'll tell you if you tell me where you left Liam?"

Spike chuckled some more, "Ballsy nancy-boy." But Spike unfortunately followed that 'compliment' up by punching me in the solar plexus.

"You know, just because you like my poetry I'll do you a solid, I'll sire you when I'm done getting answers from you."

Well fuck.

That was quite literally in my top 5 bad ends. Not only becoming a demon but being stuck with Drusilla and Spike... possibly forever.

"You mean make me like you? Liam never fucking offered that."

"I'm not Angel, mate. I'm a right beneficent master."

Right...

"What do you want to know?"

"Hmm. Maybe I should slap you around a little. Put the fear of good ole Spike into you before you get any silly ideas."

"If you're going to hit me regardless I'll... do nothing I guess."

Spike chuckled again and followed that up with yet another hit to my chest. The bastard hit like a fucking freight train and it took me some time to catch my breath again.

"Before we get to the important bits... tell ol' Spike. How did a scrawny little run like you _off _Darla? Don't get me wrong, I hate the bitch and I'd piss on her grave if she had one, but she was one tough biddy."

"Uhh. It wasn't anything special, really. Darla caught a bad case of the religions and didn't suck me dry when she had the chance. Twice!"

Spike erupted in laughter as he processed that and eventually replied, "Do you have any idea how many times she slapped me around for 'playing with my food' and then the bitch dies to a nancy-boy like you."

Time to piss him off and hope he doesn't go for snapped necks. Please... for once don't be contrary Spike and just bite me. You still need answers...

"I notice you're not learning from her, Spike. I guess that comes with the territory when your great grandsire is such a deformed freak."

A punch later and Spike said, "Is that supposed to piss me off and goad me into killing you without turning you? I'm onto you, you little ponce. I'm not so easily had."

"Oh, please. You couldn't even tell your precious Cecile was a vengeance demon, William Pratt."

Spike immediately shifted into his 'game-face' but managed to hold back before sinking his teeth into me. He was just about to speak up again when I cut him off.

"And then you spent the rest of your undead life proving you were actually _beneath her_."

The blond vampire unleashed a barrage of rib breaking hits on my that had me double over as far as I could go. The only upside to the situation was the mouthful of blood that I managed spit into Spike's face. I somehow missed the window for setting them on fire.

"Got any more words bugger?"

"Didn't your mother try to molest you? How many dreams came true the night you turned her Spikey?"

That finally fucking did it; the vampire darted in, and attached itself firmly to my neck sucking up the blood by the ounces. Less than two and half seconds later I felt the pull of our sympathetic bond and supercharged it. The vampire immediately let go and stood straight as a rod.

I pulled up my Primal and soft growled out, "**Unleash me, while telling me what your plans are, and keep me safe.**"

Spike walked around me, ripped the ropes through and helped me get up, and kept me supported on my feet. I held the bond in stasis while I kept a permanent _Bank Safe on_ and let the bond continue again.

Spike leaned in and said, "The Mayor invited me to Sunnydale. He said you had the Cross of Du Lac that could fix my Drusilla before she deteriorates. He also said you would think the Master would send me."

"**How many vampires and people are guarding me and where is Liam**?"

My ribs were firmly mending themselves and I could sense my internal bleeding resolving itself.

"Only Drusilla was here but now she's out feeding. We gave Angel to the Masters minions. He wanted you too but I needed answers from you first."

I had two options from here. I could simply kill Spike now and be done with this mess. Run back to Uncle Bob's and raise the alarm. This would obviously make Buffy rush headlong into danger and very likely set off that fucking prophesy.

Or... I could have Spike go retrieve Liam and then have him double back to take out as many vampires in the Sunken Church as possible. I had come a decent ways since the first time I cast the dominion magics and I was fairly certain I could maintain control for at least an hour...

Decisions, decisions.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 057: June 15th, 1997-C*

I gave myself a minute to reestablish my composure and take several deep breaths. When I felt like I had a handle on the situation I made my decision. I took a moment to structure my mind into a _Bronze Bull _and put my pain spell on Spike.

It meant I wouldn't have the spell available anymore to use on someone else but... it wasn't quick enough to cast for combat situations anyways. It would serve me much better as a failsafe on Spike. The moment the bastard made a move to throw off the dominion magic I'd ramp up the pain levels incapacitate him.

"**Do you have any weapons here?**"

"No."

Well fuck.

"**Do you know what the Mayor has planned for me?**"

"No."

Great...

"**Do you know where Liam is kept?**"

"In the Sunken Church near the local high school."

"**What does the Master want from Liam?**"

"I don't know."

For fucks sake... didn't Spike know _anything_?

"**What do you suspect the Mayor and the Master are up to**?"

"The Master likely wants to usher in the olden days of the Old Ones. I don't know what the Mayor wants."

I gave up on questioning the bastard. Clearly he was self absorbed to a degree that made him utterly useless to me.

"**Rip out your fangs and tongue.**"

I watched as the blond vampire reached into his mouth to obey me. There was no point risking Spike spilling the beans about my dominion magic. I knew I couldn't keep it a secret for long but even having it for just another confrontation with a vampire would be worth it.

"**Hand me your fangs. Go to Liam, release him, and hand him a weapon. Kill any vampire that tries to stop you. When Liam is safe go back to the Sunken Church and kill as many vampires as you can. Hurry!**"

William the Bloody handed me his tainted fangs which I immediately deposited in my back-pocket. After that the undead creature raced out of the room leaving me alone with me thoughts.

I picked up the chair I was tied to earlier and threw it against the wall. It broke up into a bunch of pieces and I walked over to grab the largest one. The heavy wood felt reassuring in my grip and then I finally ran after the vampire. The first taste of fresh air when I reached the surface again was absolutely divine. I couldn't waste any more time though so I booked it towards the magic shop.

I continuously kept speeding up and idly noted that I was overtaking several cars. What must have went through those drivers mind I wouldn't ever know. I didn't particularly care either; the Sunnydale effect would keep them from causing me any trouble.

Less than five minutes later I had Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet in my sights. When I walked through the door I noticed a couple of things. The door was open but nobody was home, there weren't any foreign scents either, but in the middle of floor there was a little basin of water.

I walked over to it, looked into it, and was treated to the sight of Angel tied to a wall by two manacles.

Holy crap.

Did Uncle Bob set up a scrying spell?

Damn it. Stop that Nick. You can gush about the man later.

I took another deep breath and considered what this might mean while I walked over to the phone. I was guessing they figured out something had happened to us when we didn't return. Andrew must have known I wouldn't just go off with Liam without letting him where I'd be going. Uncle Bob took the time to cast the scrying spell on Angel... because I was off limits now.

The both of them must have thought Liam and I were together and now...

I punched in the numbers for Giles's office but no one picked up the phone.

_Fuck_!

What now?

I called Jonathan next, who should have still been at home, but no one was picking up my home line either.

_No... _

This was bad. Really fucking _bad_.

I took yet another deep breath and scurried about the magic shop to collect my things. I put on my duster, checked for my shotgun and crossbow, and pulled out my trusted axe. I briefly considered swinging by the school to pick up the Troll God's hammer but quickly decided against that.

There was no time to waste.

I needed to go on the warpath.

I ran out of the shop and headed towards my car. When I got to it I quickly checked the trunk for our remaining Molotov cocktails, picked up three, and jumped to the driver's seat to drive off. The traffic laws meant nothing to me as I did my best GTA impression of a high speed chase. The trip to the school only lasted minutes and when I got there I didn't even bother turning off the engine. I scooped up the bottles and simply jumped out.

I ran as fast as I could around the school, castigated myself a bit for not asking Spike precisely where the cavern that led to the church was, and sniffed the air for all I was worth.

_There_!

I found Jonathan's trail and followed it to the cavern that had been prominently starring in my nightmares. I was determined however to make sure this episode didn't end like my dreams usually did.

The air in the tunnel quickly became saturated with the stench of vampires which made tracking my boys scent a _lot _harder. It still wasn't impossible though and I was plenty motivated. After a little while I could sense I was closing in when I heard the faint and distant sounds of battle.

I doubled my speed and simply threw caution to the wind. When I reached the open clearing I was met with the sight of Willow, Drew and Xander fighting off vampires back to back. Giles and Jonathan stood a little to their sides, crossbows dropped uselessly on the ground, and madly swinging their baseball bats.

Buffy lay on the ground bleeding and twitching with Robert was standing over with glowing hands. Every time he moved them in an intricate pattern another vampire burned up from touching the shimmering barrier.

I gathered my Molotov cocktails, set all of them on fire with the boiling blood I generated from biting into my tongue, and threw them at the biggest group of vamps closing on Drew's group. Immediately after that I cut with my axe deeply into my gut, _exploded _a truly massive _Heat Death_ out into the group of vamps that ran towards me, and rolled out my _Bank Safe _after extracting it.

Half the vamps were dusted immediately and the rest hesitated for the briefest of moment. I took advantage of their delay by jumping into the fray and swinging my axe for all I was worth. I was claiming limb after limb as I barreled through them.

_Shit._

_Don't let it end like this._

Putting that thought out of my mind I continued keeping my swings going. I didn't even bother killing the vamps, there were simply too many of them, but instead settled for crippling and kicking them away from me.

The next few moment passed by in a haze of blood, gore and dust. At some point I was convinced I saw Andrew materializing a bright _thing_ that tore through a mass of vampire. A split second later and Jonathan suddenly threw his hands up in the air and I watched as dozens of stakes flew all around the clearing.

I couldn't spare my people any more thought when the two vampires I was still having it out with stubbornly refused to get cut up. They kept darting around me and I was hit by the realization that these might not be idiotic fledges.

I jumped up as high as I could, jerked my bracelet, and threw a _Heat Death _at the vampire that tried to fly up after me. On my way down I crashed through its ashy remains and landed on top the other vampire. The creature threw me clear of him and chased me down before I had landed on the ground again.

It punched me rapidly in the face and when it suddenly lunged in for the bite it flew away from me.

"Grgblhlh."

Spike appeared in from of me and pulled me up to my feet. I picked up my axe from where it fell and saw Spike taking up a defensive position behind me. The blond vampire dusted two vampires that tried to sneak up on me and kept circling me.

I quickly looked around for Angel, saw him as defending Jonathan as he was still maneuvering his multitude of stakes, and breathed a sigh of relief.

That relief was short lived when Spike got staked and the wrinkled, rather gross looking creature that stepped through the dust launched itself at me but came a stop right in front of me.

"You took my Darla, child. You'll make a fine replacement once I'm done with you.

"**Piss off, Heinrich.**"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 058: June 15th, 1997-D*

"**Piss off, Heinrich.**"

The ancient and shriveled up freak responded to that by crossing the distance between us. Just before the vampire reached me I settled in with a _Fortress_ and swung my axe. The moment I felt he was close enough I withdrew to the left and back while marking the death zone around me.

I swung my axe in fluid motions around me, mindful to keep it darting out to the vampire, and was rewarded with the Master retreating. I knew I was a simply ploy to make me charge him but that simply wasn't going to happen.

I tried to withdraw some more but inadvertently came into the reach of one of the vampires I had rendered immobile earlier. Its hand reached out to grab me by the ankle but thankfully wasn't able to exert enough force to crush it. All it managed to do was keep me off balance while the Master blurred and suddenly appeared to my right.

With strength and agility born out of desperation I crouched and jumped as high as I could. The vampire attached to my ankle came up with me but foolishly didn't let go when my axe swung downwards to separate us. The hand remained firmly attached to my foot but I wasn't worried about it.

The Master's open and extended arms waiting for me to come down did. I fell into its grasp, tried to wrestle out of it, but creature's strength was too great to overcome. I felt like I was a little plush toy being thrown around by a pissed drunk.

After the Master had introduced me forcibly to how the ground felt mashed up against my face it let me go for a moment. Only to pick me up again, pull me close, and whisper near my face.

"Oh, what a willful creature you are. How I wish I could grant you another half decade to mature!"

_Bitch_!

You do not get to _groom _me you freak.

I clamped down on my tongue again, collected the blood and spit, and spit in the Masters eye. This time I thankfully timed it right and I watched in glee as the super heated blood tore through its eyes, nose and jaw. The wrinkled demon unceremoniously dropped me as its hands flew up to its face.

I worked through the pain and disorientation to reach inside my duster and pulled out my shotgun with my offhand.

Pumping the slugs into the shriveled up freak felt _glorious._

The creature caught fire from the first slug. The second didn't help matters either but I was extremely put out by the vampire's refusal to explode into dust. Instead it jumped across the entire battlefield and landed in the little cave lake.

_Fuck._

I searched in my pockets for another pair of slugs, found them, and reloaded my shotgun. The sounds of the battle came back in full force now I was momentarily not in a life or death struggle. The thickest conflict was near Uncle Bob this time.

Angel, Jonathan and Giles had linked up with Xander, Drew and Willow. The lot of them had retreated to a corner, backed by Andrew's creature, and a veritable hurricane of stakes flying around it. I could positively taste the fraying and barely controlled power behind them. I took that to mean that Johnny had given up on precision and now just used the flying stakes as a defensive wall.

Good boy.

Angel and the creature Andrew had summoned fought in front of the flying stakes and made the endless sea of vampires they dusted look easy. I couldn't waste any more time checking up on team and I made for Uncle Bob's throng of vampires.

His barrier still held strong, Buffy had since ceased moving but was newly encased in a radiant blue light, but I could tell it was taking its toll on the warlock. The handful of vampires surrounded the barriers and were patiently waiting for it fail.

Thank fuck for stupid minions.

I pulled up my Primal closer to the surface than I ever had and roared a wordless howl.

Three of vampires turned and fled past me.

I ignored the basically harmless fledges as I ran past them, jumped _over _Uncle Bob's barrier, and just before I landed on top of two vamps I discharged my weapon. One of them exploded into dust almost immediately and the other didn't look to far off from it. In any case it didn't bother me when I rolled off of it.

Immediately after I got to my feet I was beset by two new vamps. I carved out my little death zone while deciding how to spend my last shot. The choice was taken away from me when one of the vampire, for reasons that fucking baffled me, tried to tackle me headlong.

It succeeded momentarily in the sense that it charged at me with its head.

Briefly.

When the vampire neatly dusted itself the other undead critter tried to take advantage of the opening. I wasn't sorry to disappoint him and when he lined up with my shotgun's barrel I unleashed its fiery load into it. The vampire apparently wasn't old enough to shrug direct fire off and turned into ashes before it could even alter its facial expression.

The last vampire in Uncle Bob's corner of the cave tried to sneakily jump over me. I was struck by the intensely painful realization that jumping _over _someone is fucking retarded. The creature couldn't accelerate in mid air but I certainly could.

I ran to his likely landing zone and met the vampire's descent with a flurry of swings after I dropped my shotgun. Now I held on to my axe with both hands I could fairly easily cut through the creature and a handful of heartbeats later it laid crippled before me.

I set my foot on its chest and looked around again. The situation was finally a lot less dire; the vampires around Buffy were all cleared up, the ones around Angel were thinning, and the Master still hadn't reappeared from the lake. I channeled the biggest and meanest _Flash Bang _I could and had it explode as high as possible over the heads of Xander and Willow. The concussive force forced them to the ground but the light distracted the vampires who were looking in that direction enough for Liam to _rampage _through them.

I ran over to my shotgun, saw Uncle Bob drop his barrier, and kicked it over to him together with a few slugs I picked out of my pockets. The warlock looked like he was ready to keel over in exhaustion but caught the shotgun out of midair. While he ducked down to collect the slugs I ran over to Buffy.

The girl looked like utter shit, bruises were forming up all over, but most worrying was the stake embedded in her guts. When I reached out to her throat to look for a pulse my own heart momentarily skipped a couple of beats when I couldn't find any.

_No... _

I snapped out of the sudden rush of sadness, wrapped my fingers around the stake and pulled it, and jammed my own hand in it after I cut a gash in it with my axe. I felt my blood flow into the wound, pushed my hand in some deeper, and simply released as much magic as I dared together with the blood. When after a handful of heartbeats I managed to wrestle control of what basically amounted to a corpse with vestiges of shadow demon I imposed my will on it.

The sheer gratitude I felt when I didn't come across a metaphysical clot this time was only matched by my elation when my dominion magic kicked in. I directed to magic to take over the functions that the body normally regulated for itself and settled in for the girl to recover her heartbeat.

A few seconds later I was fairly confident I could proceed to the second stage. I slowly withdrew the magic from her and together with it I drew in the wounds the girl had accumulated with _Safe Way._

The next handfuls of seconds were the most heartrending ones I had ever suffered through. I could feel the girl's body functioning but there was no sign of Buffy waking up or her wounds healing. I gave it another few moments but had to eventually admit it wasn't working.

I took a deep breath, let the entire world around me fall away, and instead of using an organized spell structure I _took_ the wounds and damage the girl had into my own body. There was no fancy line that directed the damage harmless to my lodestone. There wasn't even a general direction I could dissipate the damage to...

I was forced to take over the girl's suffering _as is _and I rapidly felt myself losing consciousness.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 059: June 21st, 1997-A*

I stirred from my incapacitated state and was immediately beset by the sounds of incessant beeping. I struggled to open my eyes but when I finally managed to I almost immediately regretted it. The room I was in was so damn _bright _it hurt my eyes and I was forced to blink the accompanying tears away.

I took a deep breath to get a better picture of the situation I found myself in. The scents of disinfectant, cleaning supplies, people and _sickness _assaulted my senses. After I allowed myself a few seconds to acclimatize myself I snuck in another peek around the room.

I was in a hospital.

More importantly... I was alive!

A laugh bubbled up but was abruptly aborted by the pain that came with it. The gurgle that left my throat must have alerted the nurse who I had smelled passing by earlier because the lady barreled into the room. I saw her check my medical chart, fiddle with the machines hooked up to me, and finally her addressing me.

"You're awake. Good, I'll alert the doctor."

The heavyset women promptly walked off and I was feeling mildly put off by her terrible bedside manner. Couldn't she spend a minute telling me what happened?

With nothing else to do I cast out my magic to get a feel for my situation only to find it unresponsive. It wasn't that it was gone or even that it didn't obey me; instead it felt more like I couldn't control or interpret it properly. As if it was busy _doing _something I couldn't quite figure out.

Fuck.

I didn't have my bracelet foci on me, nor my lodestone, or frankly anything else but a flimsy hospital robe. With nothing else to do I settled into waiting for the doctor and considering my circumstances.

The last thing I remembered was kneeling down next to Buffy and attempting to heal her. That didn't exactly work out so all I was left with was my nuclear option. I had simply taken over the girl's suffering wholesale and counted on my damage resistant body to take the damage better.

I was never more grateful for Roberts insistence on hitting me with his full repertoire of highly lethal spells. It had given my magic the chance to figure out what the base state of my body was. A direct result of that was the fact that it would always work towards attaining that base state.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I came to that realization. My magic wasn't crippled, it had been working non-stop to force my bodies structure back into the way it liked it. I was still worried about the length of time it must have taken to get me conscience again.

I _did _wake up in a hospital so clearly my last battle was won. I still had no idea what our losses might have been and boy... did that thought just clench up my stomach. After a moment of introspection I came to conclusion that no matter how unappetizing the thought of everyone dying was... I could shrug it off as long as those that were _mine _made it through. If something had happened to Drew, Johnny and Liam I would _burn this fucking town down to the ground._

"Good morning, Mr. Blackwater. Well, I say morning, it's three am."

The doctor had walked in and shook me from my furious thoughts.

"H-hi."

The elderly doctor explained the extent of the damage to my body as well as the –in his opinion- miraculous recovery I had made while in my mini-coma. The man noticed my shock when the word 'coma' left his mouth and took care to explain that the fact I had woken up on my own greatly reduced the chance of brain-damage.

That wasn't exactly what I was upset about but it certainly came as good news. After he started talking about the steps to take from this moment onwards I tuned him out. I had sniffed a familiar smell.

Liam walked into the room and came to a standstill next to me.

"How are you, Nick?"

"I'm alive, Liam. I'm alive is how I am."

The doctor excused himself and said I should have a moment with my brother.

_What_?

Liam picked up on my confusion and spoke up before I could ruin the ruse, "Yes, thank you, sir."

"So... ?"

"We couldn't find your parents, Nick. Giles and du Blanc were behaving oddly whenever the subject came up and only Buffy mentioned she ever heard you speaking about them. So Buffy and I told them you were my younger brother."

Huh.

"Let's get to that... later. How did it go? How long have I been out? Is Buffy you know... behaving oddly?"

The undead Irishman immediately responded by trying to put me on ease, "Everyone is fine, don't worry about that. Andrew suffered a broken arm, Jonathan got cut up but is fine now and Buffy is in perfect health. I... haven't noticed any strange behavior from her."

"And the rest?"

"The girl who's not quite there is fine too, at least if her notes can be believed, and du Blanc only needed a nights rest to recover. Giles had a concussion but he's better now."

"Good. So... stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened please."

The vampire dragged a chair over and settled into it to start his recounting of the night. Apparently when the two of us got grabbed Andrew raised the alarm. Uncle Bob responded by immediately scouring the city with his scrying spell and found Liam in the Sunken Church. While he was doing that Andrew had called Jonathan and Marcie and told them to meet him at the school.

He had also tried to get in touch with Amy but when he explained the situation the girl refused to come over. Liam refused to go into detail about the temper tantrum that Jonathan threw when he heard about that once our little gang was gathered in the school.

While in the library they discussed their plan for saving us, believing Liam and I were together, but tried to keep Buffy from joining them. Giles even went as far as to order the girl to stay put but she only pretended to be cowed. The moment all of their backs were turned she snuck off and headed for the cavern.

Xander noticed the Slayer was gone and the combined group had no choice but to rush in after in. Apparently when they all walked in they were met only by a dozen or so vamps fighting with Buffy. Believing they could easily take them they rushed in... only to cut off when reinforcements streamed through the caves.

Liam then went on to explain his shock at the mutilated Spike freeing him and the troubles he had convincing him he was _safe._ He skipped the parts I was present for and simply told me that when I passed out Buffy jumped up. The girl had screamed in agony for a moment before recovering, picking up her baseball stake, and made short work of the fifteen or so vampires still left together with the group.

After everything was handled Uncle Bob cut up a complying Jonathan to gather enough magic to put me in a stasis long enough to take me to the hospital. In the past six days Buffy and Liam had alternated taking turns to stand watch over me interspersed with Giles and Robert. Andrew had stationed his _thing _close by and had assured them it was constantly keeping an eye on me.

"Wow. Erm. Did the Master get away?"

Liam's face contorted in the biggest grin I had ever seen on him, "No. Buffy used your axe to cut him into small pieces while Jonathan and du Blanc held him immovable in the air."

I foolishly tried laughing again but admitted defeat when I coughed up a little blood.

"Can I get my foci back now?"

Liam reached into his jacket and pulled out my bracelet. The lodestone followed shortly after and suddenly felt _complete _again. I quickly restructured my mind into _Bank Safe _and felt all the pains drain away.

"Ahh, that's the stuff. I'm good as new now."

"Shouldn't you wait for the doctor?"

"Nah, I don't feel like explaining how it is I'm walking."

The two of us stealthily walked out of the hospital after Liam gave me his leather duster to wear. I was mildly confused by my car being in the parking but chalked it up to Angel driving here.

"By the way, Liam... thanks for standing guard... keeping Drew, Marcie and Johnny alive and well... everything."

"I should be thanking you, Nick, for sending Spike my way."

"Nah, don't mention it."

"Then I must insist you don't either."

We drove off into the night with a giant shit eating grin on our faces. Things were looking up!

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 060: June 21st, 1997-B*

I was crushed in a three way bear hug the minute Liam and I stepped through the door to my living room. When Andrew and Jonathan were satisfied I was well and in one piece they couldn't wait to fill me in on what happened while I was out.

Buffy had figured out one of the children in the hospital was throwing the world into whack with his super powered nightmares. Apparently his sports coach had beat the kid within an inch of life and the accompanying trauma knocked him into a coma. While in his extended sleep the kid had materialized all the nightmares of everyone in Sunnydale.

I made all the right noises but ever since my memory ritual most of the shows goings on was burned into my mind and easily accessible to me. The lads also told me how they kept losing track of Marcie while my magic was unavailable to keep her from slipping away. Marcie's own strangling hug didn't come as a surprise when we re-established our magic bond and pulled her back to the world of the perceptible.

When Marcie let me go I was tackled by little Constantine. When the little bugger jumped up at me I was quite literally pushed off my feet. I guess the puppy was trying to assert his dominance over me because immediately afterwards he attempted to down me with his wet licks.

Liam made a move to get away from all the sappiness but I vetoed that immediately.

"I kinda need to talk to you, Liam. Just let me shower and get dressed first."

A little over a half hour later I came back down to the living room all dolled up and handed Liam his jacket back. I was just about the drag the vampire to my dad's study when someone rang the doorbell.

"Did you guys invite anyone?"

The chorus of 'no' made me shiver with anticipation.

"Ok, Marcie, go full blackout please. Everyone... go grab your weapons."

Thankfully for me my people were of the paranoid sort and all had passable weapons nearby. I walked over to the door, cast a _Fortress, _and peeped through the little spy-hole.

_Shit._

I recognized the man on my doorstep as the Deputy Mayor Allan Finch and that revelation just ruined my night. I slowly opened the door and stepped clear to the left giving the man leave to walk in.

Finch hesitated for a brief moment before he stepped through the door but when his second muscle attempted to do the same I picked him up one handed by the throat. The burly man was a vanilla human that really should have known better.

"**Mr. Finch won't need you.**"

I followed up my statement by throwing the heavy set man at the third minion that hung back near the limousine that was parked just off my driveway. I closed the door and directed Finch to follow me.

The spikes of fear wafting off of the man were _divine_.

I strode confidently up the stairs knowing that Finch wouldn't risk staying behind with Angel and when we reached my father's study I sat in his oversized chair but not before pouring the both of us a glass of cognac.

Finch took the seat across from it and was noticeably less afraid. I couldn't have that so I got my familiar growl rumbling in my chest while smiling widely at the man.

"I-I was sent to convey the Mayor's well wishes and an invitation to his manor. He desires your acquaintance."

Interesting.

From Wilkins perspective I must be an odd sight. A sixteen year old _child _who was playing with magic but not getting burned by it...

I grinned at the man and said, "**Did your job description include extending greetings like a courier when you took to working for the man, Allan?**"

"I-I... I do whatever Mayor Wilkins requires of me."

"**That... is admirable in after a certain fashion I venture. How long have you worked for the man?**"

Finch frowned before answering, "I have for the past five years, Mr. Blackwater. Might I inquire what answer I would pass to the Mayor?"

I firmly ignored the man while I considered what this meant. If Finch had worked for the mayor for all that time he _must _have some inclination as to what he has been up to.

"**A man such as he must be quite the demanding employer."**

The Deputy didn't reply beyond fidgeting in his and taking a sip with his slightly shaking hands.

"**Whether in the demands he must place on your time... or **_**morals.**__"_

Finch's eyes widened spectacularly but he held himself together admirably.

Before he could reply though I continued, "**I'll agree to see the Mayor.**"

The man breathed an audible sigh of relief and said, "I will convey that to Mayor Wilkins. It was a pleasure meet-."

I increased the volume of my growl drastically and interrupted the man, "**No, Allan. You will not. You will... in fact be my guest here while I go see the Mayor.**"

Finch attempted to speak up again but I rushed him and grabbed the man by his shoulders. The bizarre squeak he gave didn't faze me in the slightest as I pulled the man to his feet.

"**You **_**will **_**enjoy my hospitality while I am gone, Allan Finch. Now... please do sit down and enjoy yourself.**"

I walked out of the room confident Finch wouldn't dare to follow me out. When I entered my living room I waved Liam over and told him of the situation. He didn't like the fact that I was planning on meeting the Mayor without backup but I convinced him I wouldn't.

"You're my backup, Liam. The Mayor won't screw over a parley, a _public_ parley attempt from the way his personal car is out there, and the three of us will sound the man out."

I turned to Marcie and said, "Are you up for joining me, dear?"

"Yes! I won't let them hurt you, Nick!"

I flashed the girl a wide smile and exclaimed, "Good! I... you don't have to kill anyone but if you stab someone _here _they'll be in enough pain that they'll wish they were."

I watched the girl digest the statement without so much as a frown and continued a split second later, "Drew and Johnny? The Deputy Mayor is upstairs. Please keep him company until I get back. Make sure to alert Robert to my whereabouts as well."

Both boys nodded and Marcie reappeared next to me with my duster. I thanked the girl and after she went fully unnoticeable again we all walked out of the door. The two henchman standing watch over the limo glared at me but that did nothing but feed my ego.

I could smell their _fear _just as easily as Finch's.

The fatter minion opened the door and once again Liam proved how good he is on the fly. He stood next to man, stuck his head into the limo, came back out and held the door himself. When the minion questioned where Finch was Liam vamped out and told him he was our _guest._

Oddly enough the minion didn't push... not for long at least.

I felt Marcie hold on to me to keep me aware of her and the two of stepped into the car. Liam got in after that and a few moments later we were off. We spent the trip in utter silence and when we finally reached his Mayor's villa we were met by the man himself.

"Welcome! Welcome to both of you! I am Richard Wilkins the Third and I invite you into my humble abode."

I kept my growl to a low faint rumbling when I reached out to shake his extended hand.

"**I'm pleased to make your acquaintance Mayor Wilkins. My name is Nicolas Blackwater and this is Angel.**"

Wilkins tried to shake Liam's hand but his furious glare kept him from wasting any more time on that. The man instead waved the awkward moment off and asked us to follow him inside. The villa was simply breathtaking. It shouldn't have come as a surprise when the man had at least a century to acquire his wealth but it was still a small shock.

I stubbornly resisted the urge to compliment the man and briefly wondered what exactly would drive someone to _want _to become a demon. A few moments later we reached the man's living room and he directed us to sit down. Marcie had let go of me and I just had to trust the girl would act if she _had _to and no earlier.

I could count on Liam to be taciturn and the man came through as always. The two of us sat still and waited for Wilkins to crack. The Mayor however was a consummate politician and seemed to not particularly care for our little dominance play.

"I'm impressed with you, Nick... may I call you Nick?"

"**If I can call you Dick... by all means, go ahead.**"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	7. Chapter 7

*Chapter 061: June 21st, 1997-C*

The Mayor firmly kept his smile plastered on his face and replied, "Of course! As I was saying; I like the cut of your jib!"

I returned the man's smile, "**Thank you. I was only peripherally aware of you, I must admit."**

The man waved my reply off and continued, "Do you know how rare it is for new players to pop up? Our world is... let's call it highly insular. Newcomers don't come around often and when they do... they certainly don't make a big splash."

"**My father taught me to tackle problems head on, Dick. When I found myself surrounded by creatures that think of me as **_**food**_**... well, that was a problem.**"

"Oh, believe me, Nick. I know what you mean! I like that we have that in common."

Well, the Mayor clearly wanted to beat around the bush and in all fairness I appreciated the time to acclimatize myself. The man was just charming in person as he was in the show and if he actually wanted to forge a lasting peace I wouldn't spurn him. I would _never _forget the kind of person he is though. What kind of man _wants _to be a demon when you can be a warlock?

"**How did you deal with it, Richard?**"

The man affected a deep sigh and said, "In the beginning not nearly as well as you young man. I believed if I could lay low and hide the creatures that go bump in the night would pass me by. The lesson that taught me otherwise was... _costly_."

"**I can sympathize with that. My experiences before Sunnydale hammered that lesson home for me.**"

"Oh? Where did you grow up, son?"

I smiled a wide smile and said, "**A smallish town on the coast of the Netherlands. It wasn't nearly as **_**crowded **_**as your lovely city but it wasn't without its share of danger either.**"

"I can only imagine, Nick. I must admit that I haven't spent any noteworthy amount of time in your country of origin."

"**If you ever do find yourself there, Richard, enjoy it. It's a wonderful place.**"

"I will do that, Nick, you can count on that!"

I was actually enjoying our verbal sparring. This kind of conflict wasn't _quite _as satisfying as cutting up baddies into tiny pieces but it did have its charms. Our conversation felt like we were testing each other by circling around the main reason we were here. In the particular matter though the Mayor held the advantage... all I could do was wait and respond appropriately.

"Before we get to business, Nick, I'd like to inquire about the state of my Deputy. You know how it is... good help is _so _difficult to replace when they go _splatter_."

I smiled at the man and replied, "**Allan is currently my guest, Richard. He **_**should **_**not be in any danger of exploding as of yet.**"

And it begins.

"Excellent. I've found myself quite attached to him. Did you know his family has worked for mine since... oh it must have been the late nineteenth century?"

"**Oh? You make it sound as if you've groomed him for the position, Richard**."

He really didn't but there's nothing stopping me from attempting to get the Mayor off balance. Oblique references have their place but I need to make a _small _splash right about now.

The Mayor replied, "You certainly could say that, son! I've known him his entire life and he couldn't make me any more proud."

"**That's wonderful. Did you find him very similar to his great grandfather?**"

Wilkins grin never so much as faltered when he said, "You wouldn't be wrong about that. Certain traits do indeed breed true. I'm rather pleased you don't disappoint, Nicolas."

I nodded to the man and said, "**I do try, Richard. I take that for the high praise it surely is coming from a man as you.**"

"You really should, son. I don't like to toot my own horn but I do have a fairly developed eye for talent. And talent, while its own reward obviously, should be... .no scratch that... _requires _appreciation."

This time I simply smiled and nodded while waiting for him to continue.

"What exactly is it you want from life, Nick?"

I pretended to give it some thought and fell silent for a moment.

"**I'm rather enamored with something written by your nation's founders. I'm paraphrasing of course but 'the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness' seems to encapsulate it terribly well for me.**"

"Ah, you certainly are a young man after my own heart! Do you have a passion for history?"

"**I do indeed, Richard. In fact; one of the first things I did was research the history of your lovely demesne.**"

"Oh? Do expand on that if you would."

"**Mind you, at the time I wasn't quite aware it was your doing, but I came across more than a few instances of certain... apocalyptic proportions that seemed to resolve themselves without doing **_**too **_**much damage.**"

"And you believe this to be my doing? Not that I am denying it but what led you to this conclusion?"

"**The last white-hat in town was Naayee'neizghan in 1841. The town still stands and you... still breath.**"

The Mayor actually clapped as if he was _actually _excited. I knew better than to trust _anything _at all from the man. This may or may not lead to my being overly paranoid but that word loses its negative connotations when you live on the Hell Mouth.

"And now it seems you have subverted the newest 'white hats'. I like that expression; do you mind if I use it?"

"**Not at all Richard.**"

"Is your Slayer aware of your... shall we call them extracurricular activities?"

"**I'm fairly certain the girl would object to being called **_**my **_**Slayer but to answer you; no more than she is aware of your particulars.**"

The Mayor's facial expression didn't change _at all_... it was as if we weren't just threatening each other. I had to admit that every second I spent in the man's presence I found myself re-adjusting his threat rating in my mind. And never in a good sense...

"Well, I've always found it best to never directly engage Slayers. They have the tendency to sow chaos where there should be order."

"**On average they tend to do that. I, myself, am more concerned about their interesting ability to win conflicts they have no business winning on the face of it.**"

"Well, yes, there is that aspect of theirs. Do you intend to rely on that?"

Wow.

Is it finally happening?

"**I do believe the current Slayers would take umbrage at the **_**situation **_**Sunnydale finds itself in.**" I paused for the length of a single heartbeat before I continued, "**Fortunately... they wouldn't be too difficult to corral to a more efficient use of their time.**"

The man's grin sagged for a split second, "I see."

Did he do that deliberately? Was slapping him in the face with the implication of the existence of multiple Slayers enough to penetrate his serenity?

"Would you expand on that, Nick?"

I made my grin just a touch wider and said, "**Before I do that, Richard, I'm intensely curious about **_**your **_**plans for the city. The reality of it doesn't seem to match the powerful image you portray.**"

"Oh? Well, to be frank, politics _is _mostly about presenting the right face to the right people. Are you upset that I don't seem to be... valuing the health of my constituents?"

This was veering into dangerous waters. Perhaps I shouldn't have taken Liam with me... I had no idea how the man would interpret any of this. As much as I loved claiming I was beyond fear... I really wasn't.

Perhaps I was using Liam as a crutch?

This certainly wasn't the time for thoughts like that though. I needed to wrestle control of the situation even if that called for a direct hit. Something I had been avoiding from the beginning.

"**I'm mostly curious actually, Richard. I have a sense of your aims but I'm left wondering why you allow so much death and destruction.**"

"I see. It's not _entirely _my intent to do so. I find generally that a certain level of mayhem is to be anticipated. A little higher or a little lower and you rather start losing the ability to direct it."

Wow.

If I was reading between the lines correctly... Wilkins basically admitted to letting the demons just enough off their leash so they actually _would _consent to being leashed. It made a twisted kind of sense but I was still considering whether it had anything to do with his ascension.

"**Would you be implying the alternatives are worse?**"

"Indeed I am! If this is something you're having a difficult time with... I would understand that. I too was young once and struggled greatly with this very matter. Fortunately I had the benefit of an understanding mentor. Isn't that another one of our similarities?"

Ok...

"**You could say that. Was yours anything like the Terror?**"

"Not even close. I do hope your cherish your time with him. I've found that despite our best efforts... sometimes we lose those that make us who we are. Either old age claims them or the fact that you're growing up to be a _different _person takes them away."

I... had no idea what he meant but I knew I wasn't catching any whiffs of a threat.

"**I'll certainly take that under advisement. I do notice though Richard that you've deftly danced around my previous question. So deftly in fact I missed it myself.**"

The Mayor laughed loudly and said, "Oh to be young again! I wouldn't worry about it overmuch. It's something that comes with age and experience."

I simply kept my own smile plastered to my face and waited the man out.

"In the interest of not allowing any more _unfortunate _incidences to occur I'll be as clear as I can. I do not believe we need to be at odds with each other. My aims for Sunnydale, while not _entirely _wholesome, don't run counter to yours. I've been around, as you mentioned, for a while now and I'm close to _moving on_ so to say."

It was time to test the man's resolve and his willingness to deal.

"**I see. Would that be one year and eleven months from now?"**

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 062: June 21st, 1997-D*

The Mayor's eyes fractionally widened and I could swear I saw a vein on his neck bulge and twitch. The next few moments would be _absolutely_ crucial. Could the Mayor accept my knowing his greatest agenda? Would he merely _pretend _to accept it before immediately plotting my demise?

Or maybe my assurance that I wouldn't stand in the way of his Ascension would be what glued the two of us together. At this point I wasn't even quite sure which outcome I was hoping for.

Richard replied after what seemed like an eternity, "That is indeed roughly my time table. I would _appreciate _it if you shared how you came about this information... "

The man's voice trailed off but I was struck by the sheer intensity the Mayor exuded. Nothing overt changed but suddenly well... _everything _changed. I wasn't sure how he was doing it but I felt suddenly incredibly uncomfortable.

I might as well come clean and spill my 'secret'. Hopefully that would be enough to balance out his ... anger or whatever it was I was sensing.

I felt Angel respond to the change in the air but thankfully he didn't make a move. Still... I quick decided to be on the safe side though and spoke up again to forestall Liam from acting.

"**Before I answer I'd like to make one thing clear. What I'll be telling you about my abilities isn't common knowledge. I would therefore greatly appreciate your **_**discretion **_**on the subject.**"

Richard broke out a wide smile; the tension in room evaporated instantly, and said, "It certainly isn't my place to share secrets that aren't mine to spread."

**"I'm a fairly powerful Seer that can see potential futures, Richard. I saw your plans repeatedly in fact. In one particular instance I saw you succeed, in another one you did likewise but didn't enjoy it for long, and in yet another you were killed by the Slayers before you got very far.**"

The Mayor took a moment to process that, quickly flashed a look towards Liam and seemed to come to a decision, and turned his gaze back towards me.

"You are just full of surprises aren't you, son? Do not fret; no one living or dead will ever find this out through my action or inaction."

_Shit._

This obviously was an attempt to get me to make the same promise. I wasn't exactly opposed to it but the wording worried me. If he meant what I thought he did he might actually expect...

Fine.

This better be worth it.

"**Thank you, Richard. I'm glad the two of us are on the same page.**"

He nodded and replied, "So am I, Nicolas. Perhaps we might get to working out an agreement then?"

**"That would be lovely. How would you like to proceed**?"

Richard leaned back into his comfortable couch and pretended to consider my question.

"I do believe we agree on the big picture so it might be best to start with the practical considerations. Since the two of us already agreed to keep each other's secrets we are bound together in that sense. I would however not wish to see our _agreement _as one that stifles us. Instead I'll start by asking whether there is anything in particular I can do for you?"

I took a brief moment to think on what I really wanted from the man. If I was being honest with myself... getting him to _not _try and murder me in my sleep was the biggest favor I could want. I just _knew _however if I brought that up I would risk upsetting the man.

I knew just the thing to ask for.

"**Thank you, Richard. I would like for you to introduce me to certain **_**factions **_**in this town.**"

Come on Dick; read between the lines.

The Mayor smiled widely and replied, "I was already planning on doing just that, son. Why don't you ask me for something else?"

Oh.

Wonderful!

"**That is very kind of you. Hmm... there is a certain treasure located somewhere in Sunnydale I'm having some trouble extracting. Would you be able to spare the manpower to search for it?**"

"Done! I'm sure you'll tell me what exactly it is my men would be looking for when you're done?"

"**If that's what you want, Richard, I will of course do so."**

"Oh! Please do not feel compelled to share any secret you feel you must _absolutely_ keep. I'm simply speaking from experience that trying to hold on to lesser ones only leads to strife."

"**I understand. Would you mind if I gave it some thought?**"

"I wouldn't mind at all, son! Take all the time you need. Well, I do believe it's my turn isn't it? If you're amenable to it, after taking our schedules into consideration of course, I would like for you to spend one evening a week with me."

I froze in shock.

This wasn't what I expected. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it...

I gathered my wits again and decided to make the best of it, **"I think I would enjoy that, Richard.**"

"Excellent! Ever since my wife passed away I have so few people to associate with. I know a young man like yourself intensely cherishes his free time so I promise you I will make it worth your time."

I think I just acquired another teacher. How would Uncle Bob take this?

Fuck.

"**Then I would likely enjoy it even more!**"

Richard didn't reply beyond a firm nod and gestured for me to continue.

"**This one might be difficult to accept. If it's too much; please do not hesitate to let me know. How attached are you to the local vampire populace?**"

The man stroked his chin with his finger and thumb but fell silent for a moment. He had to know where I was going with this. The vast majority of the demon didn't _need _to kill daily. They could be negotiated with. Vampires, excepting those few that had the ability for moderation, however could not.

"I have very little use for them beyond those that work for me directly. I don't see how I can offer you anything in that regard though."

I took a deep breath and spoke up, "**I would like for the Police Department of Sunnydale to become involved with keeping their population levels down.**"

The Mayor exploded in laughter and replied, "Ambitious. I like it, Nicolas! Done! I'll even pick up the tab to equip them appropriately."

"**I appreciate that, Richard. I will endeavor to pay you back once I acquire a better source of funding."**

"Oh no, please do not bother, money isn't something that should ever come between us. If you do not have enough I'll sign over a handful of trusts for you. In fact... I'll give you and each of your circle of friends an account they and you can draw funds from."

Holy.

Fucking.

Crap.

Why is he being so accommodating?

"**I don't mean to offend you, Richard... but might I inquire why you are being so generous?"**

"Where you see generosity, son, I see investments in a wonderful future. Besides... after a lifetime such as mine... money and possessions mean extraordinarily little to me. I will of course not actually need them for much longer. Does this put you on ease?"

Ah.

He was right... the only thing of true value, to him at least, that I asked for was me co-opting his police force.

"**It does indeed. Again, thank you.**"

"Don't mention it, son. Now since it's my turn again. There are a handful of cabals and firms led by sorcerers in Los Angeles. I've been hearing rumors about one of them who will be coming into a great deal of power in the near future. I have not been able to ascertain how and I would like for you do so for me."

I struggled enormously to not show any reaction. I wasn't sure how successful I was with that but perhaps he would attribute it to mild confusion.

On second thought... fuck that.

Instead I smiled as wide as I could and asked the man, "**Would this sorcerer be Mr. Bryce?**"

Boom... headshot!

The Mayor exploded once again in laughter but this time he seemed slightly lost in his feelings. It took at least a minute for the man to calm down from his hysterics and it left me wondering...

Does he really feel this excited or is it another affectation?

"Yes, son, that is indeed the wizard in question. Magnus has always been a dangerous man and I'm left wondering what he would do if he suddenly became even more powerful."

"**I'll have to do some more research, Richard, but my initial guess would be... cleaning house. Isn't the House of Lanier one of his greatest rivals?"**

"Yes, that does make a certain sort of sense. Do you have any guesses beyond that?"

"**Not at the moment. I will of course get back to you once I do know more."**

"Wonderful! Absolute wonderful... I so do look forward to getting to know you better young man. I do believe it is your turn again, son."

This time I didn't reply and instead settled in with a smile and a nod. What else could I ask from the man? He does seem exceedingly eager to acquire my goodwill.

"**There is an organization in LA that arranges demonic blood sports. They have access to a certain magical technology that I am incredibly interested in. I fear however they would not take **_**me **_**approaching them very well. Could I persuade you to handle the negotiations on my behalf?**"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 063: June 21st, 1997-E*

"I don't see how that would be a problem, Nicolas. I'll require additional information of course but I can certainly handle that."

The organization that captured prize fighting demons somehow managed to control them through a nifty bracelet that simply _disintegrated _them if they crossed certain literal lines. There simply has to be a way to edit the parameters of that lovely setup...

"Beyond what we just discussed I have no more requests to make of you at this junction, son. Do not let that stop you from making yours though."

"**You have already satisfied most of my urgent needs, Richard. I'll need to spend the next few days handling a few issues but when would you like me to come by?"**

Not that I would ever come alone obviously. At the very least Marcie and Andrew's little summon would be trailing me at all times.

"How does next weekend sound? I already have a gathering planned for this Saturday."

"**That sounds good. I look forward to it."**

"So do I son, so do I. If you'll excuse me for not escorting you out... I do have some rather pressing business to get to. I wish you and your people well with your endeavors Nicolas."

"**Likewise Richard and have a good weekend."**

After Liam and I got up I waited for a brief moment until I felt Marcie's hand on my shoulder. Once I felt the girl become clearer to my sense we strode confidently out into the night. The limo trip back to my house was just as awkwardly quiet as our initial trip was.

I wasn't exactly looking forward to explaining myself to Liam but I knew I couldn't put it off once we reached my place. Andrew still had me under remote surveillance with his creation and it showed when the door swung open just as we arrived.

The Deputy Mayor walked out, nodded once to us, and power walked the rest the way to his ride.

"Nick, I would like to have some words with you."

"Alright, let's go up to my study."

Andrew spoke up before we could walk off though, "Wait! I need to tell you something, Nick! We... uhh... finished Little Sunnydale while you were convalescing in the hospital. It's still crude but we kind of need you to power it."

"Oh, that's wonderful news! Did Robert give you the all clear?"

"Not exactly... he said he gave it some thought and decided that an external power source would be more... optimal. I think he's just worried about you... not being around to power it though. What should we do?"

It obviously made sense to go for a mystical battery set up so why was Drew so worried about this? The boy didn't spook easily anymore and had recently turned out be exceptionally sneaky so what was it...

"Let's table it for now and revisit it in the morning, alright?"

The lad simply nodded and walked off.

I really needed to get on top of that but I the things I had to consider were piling up quickly. This, yet again, wasn't the time for it.

"Explain."

Angel had his 'brooding' face with hints of 'stubborn' sown all over.

"Which part?"

"All of it, Nick. That man... he's admitted to being responsible for so many deaths."

"Not that I don't agree with you... but he's also responsible for the stopping of a handful off... what's the right term for more than a single apocalypse?"

"That doesn't make it any better. He didn't do any of with the intent to save people."

"What exactly has you worried, Liam?"

The handsome Irishman fell silent, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and said, "All of it."

I took a deep breath and replied, "Imagine this Liam. Imagine a scale from one to ten. Now imagine that one is how powerful and scary The Master was to us. I would estimate the Mayor to be a solid six or even seven."

"That still doesn't mean we can _deal with the Devil_!"

"What's the alternative, Liam? Please... tell me."

The vampire fell quiet again but before he could respond I spoke up, "As it stands we _cannot _beat him. That's not the worst part though... that honor is reserved for the utter _shit storm _removing the Mayor from the equation would be."

"I do get that, Nick. I know the chaos that comes from a power vacuum but you were so... "

"Liam. Are you worried he might betray our agreement?"

"Of course I am!"

"Or are you _more _worried he won't?"

Liam froze up and even stopped pretending to breath. For a full minute he didn't so much as move a muscle before he finally replied.

"Both. I'm not saying I don't trust you, Nick. I do... but power... especially the kind he offers. I'm saying I know _exactly _where that leads."

I nodded and gestured for the man to continue.

"This won't end well I promise you, Nick."

"I asked you before, Liam, and I'll ask again. What's the alternative here? Do you want to face the Mayor? He already tried to kill me... the only reason it didn't work was because it wasn't a serious attempt. It was the work of a man going through the _fucking _motions."

"I... "

"No! For fucks sake... if Spike wasn't so goddamned retarded I'd be dead now. All it took was a single phone call from him. Why won't you grasp **how fucking dangerous he is**?"

Breathe in and out.

"I'm willing to risk it."

_Good lord... _

"**I'm not Liam. I can sit here and give specific reasons why I believe this is best course of action... but I'm not going to. I told you how to attain your deepest desire Liam. If I don't have your **_**full **_**support this whole ordeal becomes pointless and I'd sooner just hunt a Mohra demon for you tomorrow**."

_Fuck_!

Why can't he just see things my way?

"I don't want to abandon you, Nick. We were interrupted while I was trying to give you my word I wouldn't leave your people in cold... and I still consider myself bound by that."

Well... that's something I guess. I really, really, shouldn't have taken the vampire with me.

I took another couple of deep breaths before I replied, "Ok. You're right... this will end badly. I'm fairly confident it will. All I can do is minimize the damage and provide enough shelter for my allies... and myself... to grow strong."

"I understand."

"I don't want you here if you're going to be dragging your feet."

"I don't want to _be _here if this is how you respond to concern."

As much as I hated hearing that... the man was right. I really can't to crack up every time something doesn't go my way. I mentally added another item to my long, _long, _list of this to do. I needed to arrange for more meditating sessions with Giles.

Right now I needed to apologize.

"I'm sorry for that... do you want to go over my reasoning now?"

"Accepted and I... shouldn't have... I don't have an alternative. I know you're doing your best Nick."

"Thank you. I didn't lie about the visions, Liam. He wins _most _of the time. The man keeps his word a lot more than _most _of the time. I believe that if I play ball with him he will consent to keeping the death toll down. Far down what would be the case without my involvement with him."

"Ok. "

"I also believe I'm willing to jump through whatever hoops to make that happen. In the meanwhile I intend on extracting every single advantage for my people that I can. The better we are the better we can help others."

"But that isn't your main concern is it?"

Every once in a while Liam reminds me he has an actually functioning brain.

"No. I'd feel bad if Sunnydale burnt to the ground but if my friends make it out... I won't lose sleep over it."

How would he take this?

"I already got a sense of that. You're not a hero."

"But you are and so is Buffy. Drew, Johnny and Marcie are heroes. Giles, Xander and Willow are heroes. Du Blanc and I... we're the ones keeping an eye out on the long term."

"Du Blanc... on his best day I wouldn't ascribe any altruistic thoughts to him."

"And yet when he thought the Master had me he came to find me. When he didn't find me... he didn't leave and expended an _ungodly _amount of magic to keep Buffy alive."

"I know, trust me, I know. You seem to bring out people's strengths... I'm just not convinced it is their 'good' side your strengthening."

"And yet as a side effect... " I trailed off for a moment before I continued, "As a side effect we'll save staggering amounts of people. Just the sanctioned campaign against vampires alone will do_ incredible good_, Liam. Just... tell me whether I have your full support."

The handsome Irishman looked down for an uncomfortable length of time before he responded.

"You have me for a year, Nick. After that... after that I'll take my leave."

"Thank you."

"I won't stop telling you what you don't want to hear."

"I don't expect that. Again, I'm sorry I reacted so badly... I was still on edge from the most upsetting hour of my life."

Liam snorted softly before he said, "Don't mention it."

**XxXXxX**

**June 21st, 1997**

After Liam had left I settled in behind my desk and reached for the phone. I needed to call Giles and well... blow his mind.

"Hello, this is Rupert Giles speaking."

"Good evening, Giles. It's Nick."

"Nick! We had heard you were awake. How do you find yourself?"

"Once I actually woke up I fixed myself... so I'm tiptop."

"Good good, Buffy wants to speak to you for a moment."

"Before we do that can I talk to you for a moment, Giles?"

"Ah, of course, will this be one of _those _conversations?"

I only had one shot at this but I simply didn't _want _to wait until I saw Giles face to face.

"I cajoled the First Slayer into activating a new Slayer line."

Quiet.

There was just quiet on the other line.

"Oh dear, I... I don't know what to say."

"Has the Council made contact with you? I saw a whole bunch of potentials but only two came across as spectacular to me. If you could ask around and see whether Faith Lehane or Kendra Young have been called... I would appreciate it."

"What do you mean when you say spectacular?"

"I mean that they are Buffy grade quality. Most of the others won't last beyond the first two years."

The line was quiet again.

"I see. I will ask around, Nick. Try to have _some _mercy for my heart the next time we speak. Oh, and before I forget... I have your check from the Council. It has... quite the number of zeroes."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 064: June 22nd, 1997-A*

Marcie and Jonathan had gone above and beyond with the banquet like breakfast meal. We feasted like kings on an assortment of breads, bacon and more bacon.

"So, Drew, you mentioned you were hesitant about letting me power Little Sunnydale?"

The boy swallowed his mouthful and replied, "I think Uncle Bob doesn't like the idea that no one but you could manipulate it. In the original set up you were supposed to build the structure while he connected the finer threads of magic... "

"Ok. I'm following you so far."

Not that I _entirely _agreed but I had come to trust Robert a lot more than Andrew had.

Andrew nodded towards Jonathan and said, "Instead we took over the detailed linking process and built off the structure you left for us. We gathered all the little chips, bits and pieces of the main roads and important buildings of the city. He didn't seem to like that."

"Oh... I trust you Drew. If you think your way is better I'll back you, buddy."

Drew smiled his adorable smile and continued, "Thank you... "

"So... are we firing it up? I'm incredibly excited!"

Everyone around the table agreed and Johnny whipped out his masterful TK abilities to clean everything up. His increase in control and power made me positively glow with glee.

The four of walked over to my cellar where Andrew had set up his workshop. I hadn't been in there for a while so I was immediately struck by the changes. The far wall was entirely covered with 'flat screen' computer monitors that all individually showed different locations of the city. They flickered around from time to time to ever changing locations and I was in love.

I was just completely... utterly... in love.

"Holy... fuck."

Marcie started clapping and said, "Told you. You owe me fifty bucks now!"

I ignored the little by play and walked over what Jonathan called our Big Brother surveillance wall. We had eyes on the area around the school, every single one of the cemeteries, a bunch of sewers and an entire line of monitors was showing the warehouse district around the Bronze.

"How? When? What the fuck guys. This is... "

"Amazing? Badass? Extemely awesome?"

"Yes. Yes to all of that. Again I say... holy fuck. I thought this would have taken ages... "

Jonathan coughed in his fist and said, "It did but we have telekinesis. We also had Marcie, Willow and Liam helping. More importantly... we had Andrew's little monster. I mean... yes... monster is the word."

Andrew slapped Johnny and directed me to the seat next to him. I sat down next to the control desk while Andrew guided me through the process. The technobabble was a little beyond me but if I understood him right... this was what he was using to control his _creature_. He had named it his _Imp _and it was basically a _living program_.

"Are you... are you saying this is a workable AI?"

"Oh no! It had an incredibly limited range of action. It does however do three things really, really, well. It kills demons, it can handle maintenance as well as reorganization, and it can track _anything _through the city. We have well over three hundred cameras throughout the city and Imp can arbitrarily change the camera's locations to where it feels we need them. I'm not sure how it does that... "

I _love _my people.

"This is just... this is fucking amazing guys."

Marcie coughed and I immediately amended it, "And gals. All of you."

Jonathan demanded my attention when he dragged me over to the table in the corner of the basement. The large metal table was covered by an oversized map of Sunnydale upon which small red, blue and black pins were arrayed. On top of every little pin was a piece of plastic that was wrapped around a stub of wood, stone or plastic.

It wasn't quite what I had in mind, frankly I was thinking more along the lines of a miniature model, but I could hardly complain. The little replicas of camera stands however interested me greatly. Each of them had a little, and I mean extremely little, crystal on a thin piece of string. I could only assume that was how we'd find things with it.

"Well well... how does this work?"

Jonathan charged ahead with his explanation, "It's roughly activated right now but the only reason we got any responses out of it is likely the fact that we live on the Hell Mouth."

The boy must have seen the shocked expression on me face because he immediately continued, "Oh, it's not _bad _per se in this case. It's just that the ambient power in the atmosphere gets soaked up by the map."

"I'm still not exactly-."

"Come on, Nick! Trust me on this. The moment you charge the little crystals and the table with a _claiming _ritual we'll be golden."

Right.

"Ok. Fair enough. When's the next full moon?"

"Erm, roughly a week from now, but why would you need it?"

"I don't really _need _it but considering that things been soaking up Hellmouthy-ness... I'm inclined to go big or go home... and I don't want to go home."

"All righty then. So... what do you think?"

"I think... that I'm just bursting with fucking pride, lads and gal. This is going to give us a _major _boost. Oh! Oh! Before I forget I have some things to share."

My minions all settled in around me and I started explaining what happened yesterday. I knew Marcie wouldn't have blabbed anything to the boys so for them it was... quite the shock. Johnny offered to dig up any and all counter magic spells he could while Andrew pledged to drag up every last bit of information he could hunt down on the Mayor.

Marcie however stuck her tongue out and just said, "If he starts to become a problem... well... let's just say I know where to stick him!"

"I don't think that will be necessary any time soon, Marcie, but thank you for offering."

The girl broke out in a wide smile and said, "Anytime!"

After a brief moment Andrew spoke up, "So... are we rich now?"

"Kind of yeah. I mean Giles mentioned we got a nice windfall from the Watchers but I'd suggest we bank that money and spent the Mayors first."

"Just how much are we talking, Nick? Because Johnny and I had a lot of ideas that just cost too much to be viable... but now they might be?"

"We won't know until I meet with the man again but I suspect... quite a lot. Before we do anything else though we're going to need to use the money to either lease or buy some property."

Marcie piped up with, "Why?"

"If the boogiemen find out my home doubles as my base of operations... I'm just saying we shouldn't put all of our eggs in one basket."

"Oh. Ok! I can come to the new place too right?"

I pulled the girl in close and swung my arm around her, "Marcie, I'm not going to let you or my lads go unless you walk out of the door yourself."

**XxXXxX**

**June 22nd, 1997**

I heard the phone ring in the living room and with nothing better to do I waved off my minions and raced for it myself.

"Hello, this is Nick."

"Nick! Buffy here! Giles told me to call you when he got word back from the Council."

"Hey Buffy. How are you? I'm fine."

"Oh pishposh. Do you want to hear the news or not?"

"Shoot."

"It's not exactly pleasant. Seven days ago a Slayer called Kendra was called but the girl died in a car accident."

What.

"Oh... "

"Yeah... how come you didn't _see _that?"

"I don't have all the answers, Buffy. Sometimes the universe just gives a the big ole middle finger."

"I know right... but anyways. That same day a Japanese Slayer called Minami something was called. The Faith girl you mentioned is with her Watcher in Boston, apparently she was already under surveillance but you asking for her by name moved up her schedule, but she wasn't called."

"Ok. It's fairly important nothing bad happens to that girl. Especially now we're down... well Kendra."

"Giles said you thought they were as good as... me?"

"They _could _have been Buffy."

"Why?"

"Why I think they were as good as you?"

"Yes and no. I mean... why am I a standard for you?"

"Ah. Can I get back to you on that? I'd rather not do this over the phone."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 065: June 22nd, 1997-B*

"Hello people."

I walked through the wide library doors trailed by Andrew, Jonathan and Marcie. I was greeted by the sight of Buffy furiously swinging my axe around a stubbornly resisting Giles.

"Hi, Nick! It's good to see you're up and running again."

"Thanks Willow. It feels good too!"

With the pleasantries out of the way Andrew immediately honed in on Willow and dragged her with him to the computer lab. Jonathan walked over to Xander and offered to practice their hand to hand exercises together with Marcie. I settled in to wait Buffy and Giles out.

After a few minutes Giles admitted defeat and disappeared into his office. Presumably to salve his wounded male pride.

"Hey Nick."

"You're not even out of breath. This is just bullshit Buffy."

The girl cracked a wide smile but immediately after she tried to land a slap on me. I ducked under her extended arm and kicked at her leg. The Slayer jumped up before I could connect and swung around her axis to kick out at my face. I blocked the obvious attempt by punching at her ankle but her retaliatory caught me by surprise.

Her powerful punch to my gut doubled me over momentarily and her follow up swipe landed me on my back. I rolled with the motion, found myself back on my feet, and slapped the girl in the face with my telekinesis.

Her squeak of surprise was like music to my ears as I took advantage of the opening to close in and _jump _over the girl while grabbing on to her axe holding arm. For the split second I was flying to the air our eyes met as I hung straight above her. The Slayer tried pulling her hand back but my strength coupled with my momentum meant I won that particular disagreement.

When I landed behind her I still had her arm firmly gripped and secured behind her arm. Buffy threw her head backwards but only impacted empty air. I had let her arm go and twisted the axe out of it.

"I'll take that back now, Buffy."

The girl didn't bother replying and swung around with her elbow and connected with it on my shoulder. The impact threw me backwards but I kept my footing. I fired of a quick_ Fortress_ and watched as the Slayer punched me hard in the face.

Her grunt of frustration came accompanied by a knee to my gut and she followed up that by grabbed me by the shoulders. While I was still mildly disoriented she repeated my own trick and _flew _over my head.

A minor growl escaped my throat as I involuntarily flew through the air and landed in front of Giles' feet.

"Are you having fun children?"

Buffy immediately exclaimed, "Totally!

At same time I groaned out, "Kind of?"

Buffy helped me back on my feet and I was wary of her for a moment before I felt her arms around me.

"I hadn't properly thanked you yet. So there... thank you."

Oh.

"Uhh, no problem, Buffy."

Giles spoke up again to ask me if there were any more knowledge bombs I was about the drop. Obviously he didn't phrase it like that but it was the gist of it.

"I'm not sure. What can you tell me about Kendra's car 'accident'?"

Giles motioned for us to follow him to his office where he proceeded to offer us tea. Buffy declined and immediately withered under the combined glare of Giles and me.

"I only know what I've been told by the Council, Nick. They said the girl was called, was accompanied by her Watcher to head out to their assignment, but they were run off one of the mountain roads by another vehicle. Nobody survived."

That... told me exactly zilch.

"I see. This is a terrible loss."

"I agree but somehow I doubt we're talking about the same thing, Nick."

Whoops.

"Obviously the loss of a young girl is bad, Giles. I meant that we also lost the Slayer who would scare off the Order of Tarakan with minimal assistance."

"Oh... "

Giles removed his glasses but before he could speak up again I interjected "It's also incredibly sad that Kendra died before she could experience anything beyond the confines of the Council."

Buffy finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "Oh, who are the order thingies and what do you mean?"

I left it up to Giles to explain who the mystically gifted assassins were but when Buffy noticed he was hesitant about Kendra's circumstances she turned to me.

"Kendra was taken, with her family's permission, in by the Council when she was a toddler. She spent her entire life training to be a Slayer and had _nothing _in her life beyond that. I'm not even going to claim I'm upset by how things would have progressed for her when I say that the girl would learn how to live after her overbearing and _ridiculously _controlling freak of a Watcher finally died."

Giles froze and did his best Liam impression when he schooled his face into a gloomy expression.

Before Buffy could say anything I continued, "There are several _kinds _of Watcher. You have the ones like Giles who want to keep their charges alive and _happy_. Then you have the bastards who just see Slayers as disposable tools... easily replaced _disposable_ tools. All I can say is that an organization as big as the Watchers Council will always have _some _bad apples."

Buffy digested that for a moment and eventually spoke up, "Then I guess I'm lucky to have Giles aren't I?"

Giles tried to stammer out a reply but found himself floundering and flushing under Buffy's frankly disturbingly intense stare.

"On the subject of Faith Lehane... is her Watcher Diana Dormer?"

Giles frowned a little but confirmed, "Yes. She had been assigned to watch Faith when she was recognized as a potential. When I passed the word from you to the Council they agreed to approach the girl sooner."

"Ok, good. Do you... do you know how the Watcher's Council feels about me?"

The British librarian sighed deeply and replied, "Mind you, I haven't been directly involved in the intricate power politics of the Council in some time, but from what I gather your biggest proponent is a man called Travers-."

I spit out my tea of out shock and stared wide eyed at Giles.

"What!"

Giles' frown intensified and he continued, "Yes, Travers has expressed a desire to-."

"_Quentin Travers _is the one pushing for me? Why?"

"One of these days, Nick, we're having a long conversation about what it is you exactly see. From your earlier outburst I think I understand why you're not pleased by this but would you mind elaborating?"

"Is he the Head Watcher now? Or will he be soon?"

Rupert raised an eyebrow and said, "He is in the running now, yes. Have you _seen_ him win the position?"

I didn't respond and instead took several deep breaths.

Saying I wasn't pleased by Travers attention was a laughable understatement. Perhaps he wouldn't be as antagonistic to me as he was to everyone in the show but I wasn't counting on it. If he wasn't the Head Watcher yet... it meant that he would have used Buffy's first death and afterwards Kendra's death to propel himself to the top. Probably at the expense of whatever 'good' Watcher's like Giles there were.

This didn't mean I couldn't work with the man though. He so very obviously was power hungry but antagonizing him to the point where he'll treat me as he did Buffy didn't seem like the correct play.

"I see. Will he be using Buffy's... ?" I briefly looked over at the girl, "Temporary death as a means to win more influence?"

"That does sound in line with what I expect from the man, Nick."

"Ok. Let's start from the beginning, please."

This time it was Giles who took a deep breath and said, "I had to admit that most of this might be my fault. In the reports I sent back to the Council I didn't... I hadn't omitted _anything _until we had our... heated conversation a few weeks ago."

Ok. So they didn't know about my particular brand of magic. That was good; but in all honesty... unless Giles suspected more he himself didn't know anything either.

"The impression the Council has of you is one of a naturally occurring Seer, albeit an extraordinarily powerful one, who seemed well disposed towards it. There was some outrage when we destroyed the... first artifact you brought here-."

I bit down on my tongue to stop me from telling him about Post. That was a card I intended to play with Travers down the line.

"There were elements who believed we should have had the opportunity to study the artifact. Travers was the first to say that removing such a powerful and corrupting object was to be commended. When afterward you forwarded to the Council the Cross of Du Lac you gave them a wealth of information. It was when you gave them the amulet of Balthazar that Travers picked up your banner."

"But why?"

"Travers, and his father before him, was the one who pushed for and first introduced the _wetwork_ teams the council now has on retainer. I believe he intends to push for a more active role in gathering up independents and supporting them."

Wow.

That... doesn't actually sound terrible.

"I see... and now I've proven myself _useful_."

"Indeed. I would warn you about getting directly involved with Travers but you seem remarkably well informed."

I ignored the obvious fishing attempt and asked the man another question.

"So if Travers faction is one side of the equation... is Roger Wyndam-Pryce opposing him?"

Another raised eyebrow later and Giles replied, "No. For now the two are allied and pushing for Travers to win the Head Watcher position. The main opposition to their collective block is Duncan Fillworthe and Archibald Lassiter."

"Ah. That makes sense. Could you do me a favor and find out everything you can about Wesley Wyndam-Pryce? He's another one of those people that show up heavily in my visions but there is something _off. _Maybe it's just that he's young and inexperienced but... he'll be _important _some day."

"Roger's son? From what I gather he did exceptionally well on the theoretical side of the Watcher exams but... " the man sighed and continued, "I will endeavor to find out what I can, discretely."

"Thank you. Well that's all for today I guess. Now I need Willow."

"Oh? Do share if you would, Nick."

"There is a fraternity in town that has been featuring in my visions. It's not entirely clear why but I'm sure it's not good at all. I need Willow to work her mojo to figure out who their members, and ex-members are, and which companies they are working for."

I could tell both Buffy and Giles wanted to speak up so I cut them off, "I think they are using magic to augment their _good fortunes _and as far as I'm aware... there is no single magics like that which isn't actively malevolent."

"Oh dear, yes, that would indeed imply something dreadful is going on behind closed doors. Why would you need information about their previous members still baffles me, Nick, if you would explain?"

I smiled wickedly, "Oh. I intend to use my massive paycheck, courtesy of Travers I guess, to short on every single one of their companies right before we take them down."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 066: June 22nd, 1997-C*

"Hey Robert."

The Warlock nodded once and said, "You're still in one piece. Good."

I smile widely and replied, "Yup. Thanks to you I gather."

"Don't make a habit of it, boy. That being said... it's not like you _could _get any deeper in my debt."

Oddly enough I didn't even mind that.

"Alright. I'm driving to LA now. Care to join me?"

Robert frowned and seemed to consider it for a moment. He looked like he was about to reply but then turned and disappeared into his office.

Ok...

When the man came back out he wore his sunglasses, an exotic amulet around his neck and a fedora hat and asked me, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

I watched as Robert closed up his shop for the day and walked with me to my car in silence. By unspoken agreement we continued our silence until we passed the Sunnydale borders.

"Talk, Nicolas."

"I've had a successful parlay with the Mayor, Robert."

I could hear him abruptly suck in some air, "Boy... do you have _any _idea what that _creature_ is?"

"Yes. Unfortunately I do. He's you and I but without our obsessive pride that stops the both of us from whoring ourselves out for power."

I kept my gaze on the road in front of us but was intensely aware of Robert's glare. A minute passed in silence, then another and then yet another.

Finally Robert spoke up, "That is... surprisingly accurate, Nicolas. What foolish pact have you made?"

"We have an agreement. I keep his secrets and he keeps mine. Beyond that... we trade favors."

"Obviously boy, you're still alive, tell me the gist of it."

We spent the next half hour going over the conversation I had with Wilkins. I told Robert about the favors I asked for and told him outright I couldn't share the specifics of the Mayor's requests. He slapped me on the back of my head and told me to stop assuming he's an idiot.

"What's the spirit of the agreement you made, Nicolas?"

"I acknowledge him as the lord of his demesne and he doesn't order me around."

Robert fell quiet again for a while and slipped into one of his trances. It was only when we reached the city limits of LA that the man spoke up again.

"You're playing with fire, boy. I... I'm doubtful about your chances of coming away from this as you are."

I nodded and replied, "Is he right, Robert?"

"About what?"

"Will I lose you if I continue keeping him as a lord?"

This time Robert's answer came a lot quicker, "What did I just tell you boy? Do not take me for a fool. Wilkins will have to pry you from my cold dead hands."

All I could do was smile.

**XxXXxX**

**June 22nd, 1997**

We finally arrived at our destination. The two of us got out of my car and sauntered into the establishment that was known as the Sanctuary. The bouncers at the door let Uncle Bob through without a second glance but demanded to see my ID and claimed they doubted a place like this was fit for a _child_.

Robert tried to interject but I simply smiled and showed them my magical school ID.

There wasn't a problem after that.

Caritas was... well exactly as the show portrayed it. Given the early hour it wasn't as packed as usual but the clientele that was present was _varied. _I saw demons enjoying a drink with other demons. There was an elderly couple, which smelled just like normal humans, having a quiet moment with each other in a corner.

All that was missing was the contingent of vampires.

"Greetings and welcome to Caritas!"

Lorne, the green Pylean demon with the red horns and eyes, suddenly materialized in front of us.

I simply grinned and said, "Hello."

The demon settled in to give me a slow once over and seemed to shrink in on himself before rallying and replying, "What can I do for you, traveler?"

"I'd like for you to read me, Lorne. After that I have a few questions for you."

"T-that is what I'm here for, sunshine. You can go up after the Trasque demons are finished."

Robert and I sat down after ordering our drinks at the bar. The bartender gave me the stink eye but a short growl later and his pale ass stopped bothering me. Robert chuckled and said I should at least _try _to place nice.

The two of us settled in to wait out the three or so demons ahead of me and for the first time I started regretting my supernatural hearing. My own voice may have not been amazing but damn... these creatures were just assaulting my ears.

"Sunshine, which song are you going to be delighting us all with?"

"Do I absolutely need to be accompanied by music? Or is my voice enough?"

The Pylean frowned for a moment, brightened significantly after a heartbeat and said, "No, if you just want sing that's fine too. You're not exactly like the others are you?"

The green skinned demon looked over at the creature walking off the stage and gestured for me to get up there. When I got in front of the microphone I saw Robert grinning madly. His slow winking was incredibly annoying which was probably why he did it.

I cleared my throat once and began shameless ripping off the future.

_They see you as small and helpless._

_They see you as just a child._

_Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild._

_Prepare for your greatest moments._

_Prepare for your finest hour._

_The dream you always dreamed about it suddenly about to flower. _

_We are lightning._

_Straying from the thunder._

_Miracles of ancient wonder._

_Beware that the light is fading._

_Beware if the dark returns._

_This world's unforgiving even brilliant lights will cease to burn._

_Legends scatter._

_Day and night will sever._

_Hope and peace are lost forever._

_This will be the day we're waiting for._

_We are lightning._

_Welcome to the world of new solutions._

Roberts grin slowly evaporated throughout the song and I was curious about the reason until I looked over to Lorne. The green skinned demon was staring at me wide eyed and there was a trail of blood coming out of his nose and ears.

I ignored the polite clapping as I walked over to Lorne and reached the soothsayer just as Robert did. Lorne simply stared at me and even ignored Roberts poke in his sides. Then suddenly something seemed to _change _and the Pylean snapped out of his haze only to promptly pass out.

"Well... fuck."

Lorne's employees raced to the fallen demons side and attended to its needs. One of them turned to me and said, "This happens... sometimes. Just give him a moment to recover; drinks are on the house until he does."

This was obviously music to Robert's ears and the immediately demanded they bring a bottle of Four Roses Whiskey to be brought to our table. The employee looked like was about to complain but was interrupted by a stunningly beautiful lady in a three thousand dollar suit.

"Come on now, Frank. Give them what they want; if our sweet little empath is upset I'll pick up the tab."

I immediately felt the bottom drop out of my stomach.

The lady looked over at Robert and seemed to recognize him if her eager expression was anything to go by.

"I hope you don't mind but I simply had to come introduce myself to the Terror of New Orleans."

Robert scoffed but still accepted her extended arm when the women continued, "My name is Lilah Morgan and I work for Wolfram &amp; Heart." She closed in a bit and whispered, "Did you know that your reign back in the eighteenth century over New Orleans is one of the case studies our bosses make us study?"

Holy.

Fucking.

Hell.

I kept a firm grasp on my facial expression but my mind was reeling from the implications. I knew my mentor was older then he looked but I had no idea he could give _Spike _a run for his money. I was also aware that you don't get to be called the Terror without doing _something _impressive but... I really needed to have some words with the man.

"Save your compliments for someone else, _lawyer._"

The sheer amount of cutting contempt the man put into the word was _glorious._ Lilah was obviously too experienced to blush but I could tell from her body language that she wasn't entirely comfortable anymore. I really needed to learn how to do that.

I was something my mentor and the Mayor, to a certain extend Giles as well, had in common. The ability to exude a presence that just daunted whoever was around them seemed extraordinarily useful and I would eventually make it mine.

"Yes, of course, forgive me if I have offended you, Monseigneur du Blanc. It's just that my bosses wouldn't forgive me if I didn't extend their standing offer to you."

"My stance has not changed, _lawyer_."

"But your actions have, Monseigneur."

The women looked over to me, flashed back to Robert, and said, "You seem more than willing to finally share you-."

I saw the telltale signs of an impending train wreck. Robert was seconds away from exploding and I knew from experience this would either end in blood or tears.

I wish I had popcorn with me.

The Warlock twitched his fingers minutely and the lawyer was forcibly thrown to the ceiling. I winced, remembering my own treatment, but still settled in for the show only to be disappointed when Robert didn't speak up.

Instead I felt his magic continually constrict the women until she stopped struggling. Once she did he let the spell fall away abruptly. The lawyer fell to ground awkwardly but managed to rally and get on her feet surprisingly quick.

"I'll take that as a firm _maybe_. I wish you the best, Monseigneur du Blanc." The lady turned to me and continued, "And apprentice."

She strode off as if nothing had happened, and boy did I admire her set of _brass fucking balls_, and I watched as she rejoined her cadre of lawyers who had been paying especially close attention to us.

It wasn't just them though. The entire club had its eyes on us and the even the bouncers had been called in. When they noticed the situation had calmed down they backed off.

Robert inclined his head towards our table and we headed back over to it after he floated the bottle of whiskey out behind him.

The Warlock obviously thought he knew I would be foolish enough to question him in public and seemed to try and distract me.

"What are you hoping he'll tell you?"

"I don't know. I wasn't exactly hopeful he _could _tell me anything. I'm more interested in the other answers I plan on extracting from him. About... you know."

The warlock simply nodded and passed a glass to me. When I raised my eyebrows and tried to remind him I was the one driving he just gave me a _look_.

"So heal the damage it does to you. Sometimes boy... ."

I just face palmed and thanked the man for his insight. The drink was smooth, tasty and a fair cut above what I was used to back home. I was just about to comment on it when I heard Lorne's dulcet tones.

"Well, well sunshine. That was quite... something. I think you're going to want to follow me to the back."

He turned towards Robert and said, "I'll have him back to you in no time, cupcake."

Oh boy...

I tried to head off yet another train wreck by throwing Lorne for a loop, "I suggest you don't address him like that again Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan... unless of course you'd like to end up as your older brother."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 067: June 22nd, 1997-D*

Lorne froze in his tracks for the briefest of moments before shaking off his confusion and heading towards his back office. I stalked after him but not before flashing a grin at Robert.

"How's my bark now?"

I walked away from with the sounds of his chuckle following me out of the room. Lorne was already seated at his desk when I arrived in his office and the green empath direct me to sit with him.

Lorne sighed deeply and said, "Well sunshine... I can't say I like the sight of your vibes."

"But you'll tell me regardless Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan."

"I cannot direct to your path, cupcake. That is not for me to do."

I wasn't so much surprised as much as disappointed. I didn't _actually _expect the empath to be able to help me but his admission that he couldn't... or wouldn't still stung a little.

"I see."

"No. No you really do not _see_ sunshine. I said _I _cannot direct you. You're already being directed."

Well... isn't that just ominous.

I didn't bother replying and employed one of my favorite tactics. Just staying quiet until the other side blinks first and starts babbling.

"I have... a _message_ for you. Don't ask me what they mean... I really don't know. Are you ready?"

"Shoot."

Lorne seemed to slip into an altered state, shiver _exploded _all over my body, and I heard him slowly chant, **"**_**From Before it Guides the ooze that eats itself. From Before it Watches the ooze that shone brightly in the night. From Before it was Betrayed."**_

I committed the words to my mind as best I could before taking out a piece of paper and writing them down. The words _felt _familiar but I couldn't really place them. It was as if I knew the _truth _of them before I had ever heard of it.

At the same time I was immediately struck by Sineya's warning; "_**Do not trust the Shadow Men. Their magic is tainted."**_

Good god... the complications staggered the mind. I guess I needed to figure this one out without involving Giles and his ilk.

"Thank you, Lorne."

"You're welcome, baby cakes. You... you said you had questions before?"

"Yes. I want to know under which post office the entrance to the Oracles can be found. I'd also like the addresses for _these _enterprises."

I had handed him a list, watched as he went over it, and finally heard him say, "The Orcacles... only those who are Champions can enter and trust me sunshine... you don't apply."

"The Powers disagree with you."

The shock on the green demons face was wonderful but I didn't have much time to enjoy it.

"Just write down the addresses, Lorne. I'd like get out of here."

**XxXXxX**

**June 22nd, 1997**

"Did you get what you came for, Nicolas?"

"That and a little more... "

I handed Robert the words I had written down on the note and was utterly shocked by his response.

"I can't read this boy. These aren't words."

What?

I took the words back, looked at them again, and noted that they were plain as English to me. I couldn't make head or tails of the situation and Robert wasn't much help either once I tried _speaking _the words to him.

"I'm telling you this isn't a language, boy."

Frustrate I bit out, "Then what is it?"

For the first time since I knew the man I could smell a sharp spike of fear of off him, "I do not know, Nicolas."

This is just fucking great. I guess what I told Buffy yesterday was true after all. The universe _is _trying to give me the finger.

"Fine. We'll figure it out somehow. Let's go see the doctor."

The two of us drove off to one of the businesses Lorne gave me the address of. The man we were going to see was called Dr. Sparrow and he was an on-again off-again consultant for the evil law firm Wolfram &amp; Heart. The man specializes in fulfilling certain esoteric needs ranging from custom built drugs for cartels to downloading knowledge into people's brains.

When we arrived at the nondescript building I simply knocked on the door and waited. Less than ten seconds after the door swung open and a massively built demon came out.

Out of sheer reflex I fired off a _Fortress_ and waited to see what would happen.

"What do you want?"

Robert immediately took the lead and spoke up, "We came for the doctor, fell beast. Stand aside."

I wasn't exactly sure why the man was being so gruff to the thing but wonder above wonder... it just stepped back and waved us in. I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth so we simply followed the demon through the maze of corridor until we finally reached the operating room where Dr. Sparrow was fiddling with his machinery.

His smooth voice greeted us, "What can I do for you two?"

This time Robert inclined his head towards me and I guessed that was my cue to start talking.

"I've heard you are a miracle worker, Dr. Sparrow. I would like to acquire your particular services."

The doctor scoffed at me and exclaimed, "Somehow I doubt you could afford them young man."

I _so _did not appreciate his smug tone but before I could respond he continued, "However... I will hear you out. What exactly do you want?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

That wasn't enough so I took another... and another.

"You offer knowledge implantations and custom built drugs. I want both."

Sparrow got a gleeful expression on his face and I swear I could see the gears turning in his mind. After a brief moment the odd doctor walked over to his desk and started rummaging for something. Robert busied himself examining the artifacts that lined the walls while I impatiently tapped my feet.

"I'll venture a guess, young man, that you do not have eight million for either service ready?"

Eight million?

"No... I didn't expect such a high-"

The doctor brusquely interrupted me, "Then why should I even consider this? My time and efforts are clearly beyond your means."

The man obviously made a good point but there was something about the way he said that set me on edge. I had several cards to play with Sparrow but I wasn't sure how to progress from here.

Blackmail was on the table, as was explicit threats, and in the worst case scenario... I was fairly certain the Mayor wouldn't even balk at the sum if I asked for him. What the money would cost me though... was unclear. Not to mention that one of the reasons why I wanted the procedure done was to give me a proportional advantage to the man.

The doctor apparently didn't like my silence because he bit out, "Well?"

I once again tried to settle myself down and when I was fairly certain I did I materialized a smile on my face.

"I guess I was hoping you would accept a quid pro quo."

Sparrow gripped his chin with his thumb and index finger and seemed to consider that.

"What would you possible have on offer, young man?"

My grin didn't as much as falter when I replied, "I've found that truly contented men are far and few between. Unless you are one of these precious few... I'm sure there are things you desire."

The doctor continued tapping his finger on his chin and said, "Perhaps I do. Perhaps I do not. Let's say that I do, young man. What guarantee do I have that you will be able to follow through?"

My reply came swiftly this time, "You do not. Life is uncertain, doctor. I doubt a man like you got where he is by... playing things safely."

Sparrow chuckled under his breath and replied, "Flattery won't get you anywhere... but that was a nice attempt."

"You're right, Sparrow. That _was_ indeed me being nice."

The man's body language changed immediately and he hunched into a slightly more defensive posture before he exclaimed, "Are you daft, boy? Threatening me in my own office?"

I pulled at my Primal, laughed, and lightly growled, "**Trust me when I say, doctor, you would know if I did.**"

I saw Sparrow's eyes fractionally widen before he replied, "Interesting."

I didn't bother replying and settled in to wait the man out. I had all day and with Robert close by... I wasn't exactly worried about what the man could throw at me.

"I decline, boy. Now get out of my office."

This wasn't exactly unexpected so I played my last card.

"**Very well... it appears I'll have to go through the Wolf... Ram... and the Heart to get what I want.**"

I saw the doctors frown but still gestured for Robert to follow me out. I had already discussed this ploy with him so I wasn't worried about a freak out on his part... but I knew he didn't like my even implying getting involved with the law firm.

When we I almost reached the door though I spoke up again, "**I do **_**so **_**wonder how they'll feel about your particular religious practices. I'm fairly certain they don't like sharing this world... do you Robert?**"

Uncle Bob chuckled and nodded his in agreement and in the back ground Sparrow was rapidly turning pale. I could hear the man's hiss, the faint increase in heartbeat, and the sharp waves of fear that emanated from him. Now all I could do was hope he took the bait.

"Wait!"

I kept walking.

"I said wait!"

I slowly turned back towards the man and simply raised an eyebrow.

"W-what do you know?

"**I know just enough to make things awkward, Sparrow. The Merciless and your own nominal... allies at the law firm... don't like each other do they?**"

I could tell the man was quietly seething in fury, and not a little bit of fear, so I attempted to alleviate at least part of it.

"**I on the other hand have nothing to fear from her. Especially since I'm aware of her Vahla ha'nesh and how very... very empty it stands.**"

"What!"

"**This shouldn't have to be antagonistic, Sparrow. Would you like to make a deal with me?**"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 068: June 22nd, 1997-E*

"H-how do you know all of this? Who talked! TELL ME!"

Sparrow certainly wasn't taking this very well. I walked over to the man, sat down on his desk, and patiently waited for the man to calm down. It took a little while but he finally got himself under control.

"**I understand this is a shock, Sparrow. I hope the two of us can look past this and forge a working relationship that benefits us equally."**

"How... what could you possibly say? What's stopping me from calling all of my security forces on your head?"

I clicked my tongue at the man and said, "**If you were going to do you already would have, Sparrow. I'll even tell you who spilled the beans if you really must know.**"

The man took a moment to compose his fraying nerves and replied, "Tell me."

"**Do we have an agreement, Sparrow? I'm not interested in half measures... I want the permanent mental upgrade and one drug concoction.**"

"Yes! Now... please tell me. I _need _to know who betrayed us."

"**Good. It was the man you know as Knox. He foolishly kept a diary... which I assume was to be a safeguard in case the Senior Partners figured out he wasn't as loyal as he portrayed himself to be.**"

The shock was evident on Sparrow's face, "No... that can't be... he's-."

"**He is the Qwa'ha Xhan... I know. He even had the sacraments sown over his heart... and yet the man **_**is **_**an accomplished liar. Is it really so farfetched that the little scientist boy would hedge his bets?**"

If I didn't know the doctor would have gladly watched the world burn under Illyria's eternal gaze I might have felt bad for the _grief _that was etched all over him. His entire being screamed out in pain about the betrayal that went against everything he believed in.

Or not.

Fuck the kook.

The man's broken voice eventually came, "We... we have a deal young man."

"**Thank you, Sparrow. Which mental upgrades do you have available?**"

The doctor seemingly put himself together through sheer force of will and replied, "Quiet a few; ranging from enhanced deductive reasoning, any languages you could think of, most skills you could come up with and whatever knowledge you desire."

Wow.

Ok... there has to be a downside to this.

"**What is stopping from people from stuffing their head **_**full**_**with all of the above?**"

The man gasped and immediately replied, "In layman's terms... you brain would go _splat_. The best we could do is repeated exposure to the procedure and ease all of them in slowly but even that... it's risky."

"**I need the languages, all demonic and human languages, and the deductive reasoning skills. How much more could I reasonably acquire?**"

This talk about his specialty seemed to finally draw the man out of his haze when he replied, "Perhaps you might be able to assimilate a singular technical skill. The applications of it are extensive and varied though. For instance you could acquire every golfing technique in the world or become a reasonably gifted marksman overnight. The more you exercise with the skill after assimilating it... the better the result eventually becomes. It's a shortcut not an end result."

This was all extremely interesting to me but... not so interesting as to override myself preservation instincts.

"**I'll just take the languages and the deductive reasoning skills."**

The man sighed deeply and said, "Very well, young man. That procedure can be done immediately and is fairly straightforward. The custom drugs however won't be. What specifications did you want them to be?"

"**Ah, before we get to that. As a token of my goodwill; I'll offer you another piece of valuable information. The Wolf, Ram and the Heart have blocked off the Merciless' dimension. When you are good and ready... contact me to open it for you. That is in case **_**other**_** means fail you, of course."**

"And how do you know _that_?"

Time for another bald faced lie; "**I felt the barriers when I hopped around from Pylea to this world."**

"Oh. Thank you. My... my people will appreciate this."

**"You're quite welcome, Doctor. About the drug... I need something that can kill a Slayer temporarily... and without any complications revive them. They only need to be 'dead' for minutes at the longest.**"

"Hmm... Slayer's have an extraordinarily strong constitution... this will take some time and effort. A deal is a deal though, young man, I will have it for you soon. Now; if you could sit over _there _we can get started."

**XxXXxX**

**June 22nd, 1997**

"This... is _amazing_, Robert."

"Instead of gushing about your stolen skills, boy, perhaps you could explain why you don't think the _god damned _God-King isn't a threat?"

We had left the doctor's office after what was, for me at least, a few hours of excruciating pain. The kind of pain that makes vampire bites feel like annoying little mosquito pricks. Once we got a decent distance from the fanatics office I finally answers Uncle Bob's question.

"Because, Robert, I'm going to use the Council to send a message to the 'Guardian of the Deeper Wells'... obviously."

The man scoffed, slapped me yet _again_, and replied, "What if the Old Ones container is already gone?"

"It can be recalled through a ritual the Guardian performs."

"I see. You are aware such powerful magic comes at a price?"

"I know, Robert... you have to be a Champion and you have to be willing to sacrifice thousands of lives. The thing is... her return is rather well set in stone. Prophecies can be a right bitch."

"Just last week you were unwilling to sacrifice a single person. What changed?"

"Nothing really did change. I mean... I'd still prefer not to get anyone killed. It's just that a couple of thousand of lives are cheap compared to the horror that an unleashed Illyria might cause."

"So the ends justify the means? I've been telling you this from the start boy!"

"Are you angling for an 'I told you so'?"

"Don't push me, Nicolas."

I probably shouldn't have started madly giggling but what can you do when the mood strikes you?

"What's next, boy?"

"We have dinner somewhere nice. I feel like splurging for a while. Oh... and we're going to contact the House of Lanier. I want to see how much I can make them pay me for some information."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 069: June 22nd, 1997-F*

"No!"

Huh?

"What do you mean no?"

Robert gave me a look that signified his plummeting levels of regard for me.

"I'm telling you, boy, I won't let you tangle with the Lanier's... or any other Wizard Firm for that matter."

That threw me for a loop. Robert had gleefully let me play with the Primal, didn't so much as bat an eye about my incipient warlord-ism , but apparently these firms were off limits? Instead of responding before my brain could catch up with my mouth I considered the possible issues.

From what I knew these firms were all family held companies of wizards that have access to generations of high individualized spells. Spells that could almost literally do _anything _you wanted them to do. I could see Robert's hesitation about letting _me _off all people come near them. I didn't understand why he felt any contact was off the table though.

"Ok. I'm not pushing the subject Robert but could you explain why not?"

The warlock sighed deeply and said, "It's... most my fault. If you had told me you wanted to deal with them earlier I could have guided you through the protocols. Unfortunately we were spotted by the Wolfram&amp; Heart lawyer... which means that the entire city now likely knows I'm here."

"And this is a problem because... ?"

"It's because I'm the _Terror_, boy. I've made enemies, a significant chunk of them are obviously no longer an issue, but some of them have families with long memories. If they know I have an apprentice... they'll strike at me through you. I'm sorry I'm tying you down in this, Nicolas."

Oh.

To be frank it wasn't a major issue. I didn't exactly have a pressing need to deal with the firms and I actually was touched by Robert's concern about me.

"Oh. Ok, no problem."

"Nicolas... if you tell me what you wanted from them I can try my hand at acquiring it through other firms. Likely one of the very few I haven't pissed upon in my youth."

Well, wasn't that sweet!

"One of the other houses, a young firm led by Magnus Bryce, is planning on sacrificing his daughter in a year or two to his patron on his fiftieth birthday for an enormous power boost. I wanted to parlay that information for a handful of spells dealing with enchantments. It wasn't a big deal, Robert, but I thought it would make a nice surprise for Jonathan. Their magic is fairly useless to me."

"Bryce made a deal with the Yeska? I wonder... "

Robert fell silent for a moment and slipped into one of his trademark trances again. With nothing better to do I thought over my options. If dealing with the firms wasn't going to happen I might as well go back to Sunnydale after dinner.

I was just about to throw in the towel and cut the trip short when I made a startling connection in my mind. Perhaps it was Robert's rather uncharacteristic apology or my new mental skills but it wasn't pleasant.

These firms, wizards with generation's worth of spells and rituals, have managed to set up shop in LA. I obviously knew this but now I _knew _it. This town has some _major _players in it. Companies, people and creatures with frankly astounding powers...

And these wizarding houses managed to hold on to their turf. In a city where _Wolfram &amp; Heart _have their main division they managed to thrive. Even a recent upstart house like Magnus Bryce's organization clawed itself into the power structure within a _single _generation. His grandfather had come to LA to make his fortune, succeeded, and had his son expand the operation.

And I was about to spill one of his secrets to a competitor.

God I was... such a fucking idiot.

Not only would this clearly involve _me _into this world... the backlash of having to deal with them would spill over to Sunnydale. I had no idea whether the Mayor could keep them away and considering he employed the services of a 'Seer' to finagle out the secrets of a relatively _new _firm didn't give me much hope on that front.

I pulled up my Primal to keep my budding panic in check and started my breathing exercises.

"Alright, Nicolas, go amuse yourself somewhere and I'll find you some _interesting _spells for your pet."

Before I could respond the Warlock floated out of the car while it was still moving and abruptly disappeared from my senses.

Oh fuck... .

Great, what do I do now?

I wasn't actually worried about being bored waiting for Robert, being in LA rather precluded that, but I didn't want to feel like I was wasting my time playing the tourist. Instead I decided to drop in on the UCLA library and acquire the book on portals.

I had just given my word that I would be able to assist the Illyria worshippers and perhaps disappointing the God-Kings fanatics wasn't a good idea. The thought that they might question Knox... not find anything... and conclude I was full of shit wasn't pleasant either.

I was fairly certain my mind was safe but the drug... fuck. How am I supposed to risk a Slayer's life with a drug made by someone who may or not have sufficient cause to fuck me over?

The mental upgrade was a double edged blade in the sense that I _loved _the speed at which I thought. It however also ticked off all the flags of my _utter _stupidity in the past. I firmly resolved to spend the next couple of days going over all my actions of the past month and a half... and see where I could improve.

I probably should have done this before but well... life got in the way. That really, really, wasn't an excuse though.

After a little over fifteen minutes I arrived at the library and walked up to receptionist at the desk.

"Hi, I'm looking for the foreign language section. Could you please direct me there?"

The receptionist looked at me funny and said, "Did you just come from a fantasy fair? That axe looks really good!"

Oh...

This isn't Sunnydale.

No Sunnydale syndrome keeping prying eyes away from me.

"Yes! Do you like it?"

"Oh definitely! Where did you have it made?"

I spent the next five minutes talking myself out of my fuckup and the young girl finally told me where to go. When I found myself in the occult/foreign language corner of the library I settled in for a lengthy search. After a good half hour, which felt more like a full day, I had to admit defeat.

I didn't exactly want to give up though so all that was left for me to do was to track down Professor Seidel's office. The man that was responsible for the disappearance of every promising student in his department that might grow to threaten him. I reminded myself I wasn't here to _fix _that situation.

All I needed was to get into his office, steal his books, and get out. Perhaps I was extraordinarily lucky I might even locate his handheld portal opening device. Considering the world I lived in though... this seemed fairly farfetched.

I tried asking a couple of students for help but they either pretended not to know or just didn't respond as they raced past me. Oh, right, the axe on my back. Finally though someone took pity on me gave me directions to Seidel's department.

When I arrived at the physics department led by the professor I strode in confidently and simply ignored all the curious stares that were sent my way. A few minutes of walking through the massive building led me to Seidel's office and wonder above wonder... no-one was in there.

Good. I was due some good fortune after the day I had.

I grabbed the handle of the door, looked around to see if the coast was clear, and _pushed _the door open. I heard the lock snap, the sides of the frame crumple, and I was in the clear. I needed to repeat the procedure again for Seidel's personal office and found myself staring at his wall of ancient books.

I dragged my finger across the rims of the books, trying to find the book I needed and was never more pleased about my newfound language skills and located the book I wanted. The experience was a bit odd in the sense that I didn't _know _which language was which so all of it read as Dutch to me.

Magic has some odd... intricacies.

I closed the book just as I heard footsteps entering the office. My first instinct was to open the window but before I could I noticed security system... I walked over to the window and saw a bunch of students enjoying a picnic right in front of the building. While that wasn't what had me upset it didn't help. No, the real problem was the campus security forces that _of course _were patrolling the grounds.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

While I wasn't worried about being caught on camera, thank you Angelic language runes, clearly I wasn't protected from setting off security systems by breaking down doors. My hesitation in extracting myself from the situation distracted me long enough for someone to find me in Seidel's personal office.

"Who are you and what do you-."

Professor Seidel looked at me, looked at the book in my hand, and reached for his pocket. I _ran _towards him but before I knew what happened the air around me _shimmered _and I knew no more.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 070: ?, ?-A*

Everything _spun _and I felt like I was being pulled into a million different directions. Strange pressures racked my body all over the place and the sense of sheer traumatic disorientation gripped me for long moments.

I appeared in midair and the first thing I felt was the awkward way in which I landed on the ground. The dirt was sufficiently loose to not really hurt but my disorientation didn't help matters at all. The first thing I did however was puke my fucking guts out.

Traveling through portals is _not _pleasant and fuck the ever living crap out of Charles Gunn for implying it is. When I had expelled the last of the contents of my stomach on the ground I recovered enough to look around.

My surroundings were compellingly serene. The trees and their branches danced in the wind, in the distance I could see the earth curving into small picturesque hills and the two sun's were surprisingly dim.

Yes.

Of course the bastard would send me to Pylea. Why didn't I just ignore the guards and jump out of the window? Was I worried they'd be able to chase _me_? The only thing I could be thankful of was that when I jerked my bracelet I felt a _Fortress _kick in just as hoped. My magic wasn't gone.

I let my Primal rush to the foreground and _felt _myself change. A light coat of fur exploded out my skin to cover every inch of me, my teeth sharpened, and my eyesight _changed _to include spectrums I wasn't even aware of. Claws erupted from my nails and I felt my entire being _shift_. My clothes felt incredibly restrictive but I mightily resisted the urge to rip free of them.

I had a tail now.

It was just a stub but...I have a fucking tail.

Despite my changes I knew I had butchered the actual Primal... I still felt surprisingly like me but... _more _and _less_. Maybe this was something I should consider more carefully...

Now wasn't the time for it as an incredibly strange smell hit my nostrils. The _thing _was circling me and I felt rage bubbling up from deep inside me.

**Something is HUNTING me. RIP TEAR KILL IT NOW NOW NOW.**

I was already running straight at the direction its footsteps came from before I fully comprehended was happening. The creature darted off _towards _me and that left me no time to regain control.

**IT'S CHALLENGING ME. RIP TEAR KILL KILL KILL.**

The grey skinned demon and I clashed in an orgy off violence. I scratched, bit and tore at it. My jacket kept most of its blows from actually hurting me but that wasn't anything that mattered at all.

**KILL KILL KILL.**

The whole thing passed in a haze for me. There were no barriers between my conscious thought and my actions. Impulses were acted out the moment a thought passed my mind. I bit a chunk off its neck just as I considered ripped its head off. My claws found themselves embedded in its throat when I thought about making it stop breathing. When the thing stopped moving I began _eating_ bits of it when I noticed how delicious its blood smelled to me.

**EXHILARATION PRIDE ROAR.**

The whole ordeal was over in seconds and I slowly felt the haze of combat retreat.

Fuck. This didn't promise anything good. I needed to find a place to sit down and _regain control_.

That idea was nixed when I heard more things closing in on me.

**MORE ANGER HATE FIGHT FIGHT.**

When I caught sight of what it was approaching me I faintly noted I knew what it was. Horses, six of them, all carrying people on top of them encased in metal...

I was a split second from charging them when their leader, I didn't question how I _knew _which one he was, held up his hand and reigned in his pack.

"Hold! I said hold!"

I hunched down, readied myself to _explode _out at them, and _waited._

"You killed the fell beast; you have our thanks for that stranger, what is your name?"

**SUPPLICATION GOOD KNOW THEIR PLACE.**

"**I'm... call me.." I chuckled and continued, "Apex-Nick."**

It just felt incredibly _right _when the humanoid demon nodded and spoke up.

"Greetings, Apex-Nick. I am known as Roth and I'm the Captain of these men. Please allow us to properly thank you for your service."

**SUPPLICATION GOOD GOOD GOOD.**

I grinned widely, licked the blood off around the edges of my mouth, and roared, "**YES! Give me food."**

The captain inclined his head towards me and directed one of his men to through me a package. It landed in front of my feet and I darted out to grab it. I ripped through the skins keeping it together and gobbled up the mix of cheeses and bread.

"Would you care to join us, Apex-Nick?"

**SUSPICION!**

"**Why? Do not lie!"**

The captain held out his hands and said, "Our people could use a fine warrior like you! Do not take offense, little one."

**RAGE RAGE RAGE.**

I exploded towards the captain and before the man could so much as twitch I was on top of him. I tore out a large chunk of his throat and the two us were thrown off the horse. Before the captain so much as touched the ground he had already stopped twitching.

I looked up at the other and roared, "**NOT LITTLE! NEVER LITTLE!**"

Their fear tasted _perfect _and when they backed off another one of them took the lead.

"W-we... we apologize for the offense! Please we do not mean anything by it."

**SUPPLICATION GOOD GOOD.**

**"Lead on, new pack leader... I will follow"**

The demon looked at his companions who all seemed to pass the buck. Finally he just nodded and turned barking orders. The entire group fell back to the road and headed off to where ever it was they were taking me.

I kept my distance from them and trailed them by virtue of their scents. After a good long time my nostrils were assaulted by the faint smells of burning wood, sweaty bodies and the other assorted smells you'd associate with a stinking medieval town.

The group of horsemen had thinned but now only the new captain and two of men were waiting for me at the gates.

"Please, Apex-Nick, wait here while we tell our Imperial General about your...accomplishments."

**SUPPLICATION GOOD GOOD.**

I nodded and settled down to languidly stretch over a reasonably comfortable rock. An indistinct amount of time passed before that same captain slowly inched towards me and threw a blanket roll over at me.

I didn't smell any food so I started growling which led the new captain to fall to his knees.

"T-that's only to make you more comfortable Apex-Nick. Please come with me to my General."

I grabbed up the blanket, sniffed at it, and threw it back on ground.

"**Stinks.**"

The creature seemed to shrink into itself and babbled out incessant apologies. His abject submission was what was obviously due to me but the fear that accompanied it was _intoxicating_.

We walked through the gate and I was struck by all the demons that were peeking out from their windows at me. Did they think they could hide from _me? _If I didn't smell the assorted fears of the entire village I would have...

I was distracted when I saw the company of demons waiting at the square. The captain walked over to them but I stood my ground when I recognized one of them.

I roared out, "**LANDOKMAR of the Death Wok Clan. I know your pack!"**

I couldn't fault the green skinned demon's bravery when he walked over to me without so much as drawing a weapon.

"You know my name, Apex-Nick? What wonder; who is it that told you of me."

**"The one known as Krevlornswath. He did me a favor despite his weakness at great cost to himself."**

"Krevlornswath did you a favor? I did not expect that, Apex-Nick."

"**Yes. I know of this place... " **I lost track of where I was going with this but continued on regardless.

"**I'm thirsty. Bring me something Landokmar."**

The demon snapped his fingers and a _human _walked over to hand him a jug of something. Landokamar walked over to me, ever so slowly, and handed me the jug. I emptied it one deep flow and threw it back at him.

I looked around me again and noticed that the company of demons had all taken up position around me.

**SUSPICION! TEACH THEM THEIR PLACE.**

"**Landokmar! You and the new captain die first if-."**

The world spun out of control and I fell to ground. I passed out before I impacted it and my last thoughts were; **BETRAYAL! RIP ROAR KILL ALL OF THEM ALL ALL ALL!**

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	8. Chapter 8

*Chapter 071: ?, ?-B*

I woke up in a rather spacious room, exquisitely decorated with finery, surrounded by hooded figures.

One of them spoke up in a reverberating voice, "Half-breed."

I pushed myself off the ground and found myself on my feet. I briefly noted that I had apparently reverted back to my normal self. I didn't have my jacket anymore, or any of my foci, but was mildly relieved they left me my pants and shoes. Everything else was stripped from me though.

The shadowy figure in their billowing red robes started slowly drifting around me and I resisted the urge to pull out the Primal vestiges vividly remembering the utter _loss _of control. I had no idea what was going on so instead of potentially shooting myself in the foot I stayed quiet... and still.

"You have been accused of killing one of our most promising soldiers, half breed. For that... you will have a _trial_. Despite your clear _cow _heritage, and my own urging, the Conclave wishes to afford you the chance to defend yourself from the charge."

Ok.

I wasn't about to be summarily executed so that was... something. I was fairly certain they already knew, or perhaps just the robe that addressed me, that I was an 'outlander'. Still... there was no need to broadcast my ignorance.

"In one full week from now you will stand in front of our Most High and plead your case. You will be released into the guardianship of the Deathwok Clan until such time. Be advised, half breed, any attempt to escape will be met with a harsh and swift execution of justice."

This was a _lot _better than I could have hoped for. I didn't wake up chained and reduced to slavery. The priestly class seemed to be divided on my account and I would be remanded to the custody of the one group of demons I had any prior knowledge of. All in all... this could have gone much worse.

I remembered to send a quick thank you to whoever was looking out for me when the shadowy priests stepped aside to allow Landokmar in.

"Apex-Nick. You will come with me to my homestead. My clan has many questions for you."

I simply nodded and followed the green skinned demon out. The two of us walked in silence through the corridors of the palace and I did my absolute best to remember the layout of the building. I'll likely have to find my way back here if I ever wanted to escape this hell dimension.

When we walked across the little wooden bridge across the castle moat I finally dared to speak up.

"Landokmar... could you explain what's going on?"

The creature frowned but eventually acquiesced, "You killed a captain of the Imperial Guard, Apex-Nick. There is no question about that; there were at least five witnesses and the law only requires two of good standing. My aunt, the Elder of our Clan, has expressed a desire to hear about Krevlornswath when she heard you knew of him. I, also, lent my support as a warrior of renown."

"I see."

"You'll be our ward until the trails start, Apex-Nick. If you're wondering about _my _reasoning... I wish to fight you."

I came to an abrupt standstill when the demon spoke those words. Did I? Oh... I _did _threaten him."

"But you will wait until after the trail?"

"Indeed, Apex-Nick. Do not offend my honor by suggesting I would _subvert _your rightful judgment."

I decided to take a small gamble, "Why do you wish to fight me?"

This time Landokmar's hand flashed out to grab me by my arm, "Because, Apex-Nick, you threatened me with your last breath. This means a great deal! Especially from a warrior who has slain the Gwrok with his bare hands. We will fight and when I kill you there will be greater glory for my Deathwok Clan."

Of course.

We continued onward in silence for a while until we reached beyond the gates of the little ramshackle village. There were met by three other demons, presumably relatives of my guardians, who were introduced one by one.

"These are Melkar, Numfar and Sirak. They will accompany us to our homestead. Can you ride, Apex-Nick?"

Uhh.

Nope.

"No, I cannot. I will keep up on foot, Landokmar."

The greenskinned demon simply nodded, got on top of his mount, and rode off. Why they weren't keeping a closer eye on me was a mystery to me until I actually thought about it. This was a rather honor-bound society and I had already been acknowledged as a warrior. I had also just given my implied word I'd follow them... in their minds they didn't need to actually enforce this.

I didn't disappoint them when I kept up with their mounts, and on occasion even showed them up by overtaking them, until they decided it was time for a break.

"We need to give the mounts a little rest, Apex-Nick. You, however, do not seem even winded. How is this so?"

I chuckled a little and started lying through my teeth. I needed them to stay well predisposed to me... and how better than to claim _my _world was a hell dimension that their cousin seemed to thrive in. From a certain point of view it was even true as well.

"My homeland is _dangerous, _Landokmar. If a little run gets you tired you die."

Our companions hissed through their teeth and spoke in unison, "A little run?"

I chuckled some more and said, "Just a little, yes."

Landokmar passed me some bread and cheese to eat after which he spoke up, "How is it you look like a cow now, Apex-Nick?"

I took a deep breath and fell silent for a moment. This wasn't something I could actually afford to fuck up.

"I was cursed as a child, Landokmar. I only resemble my normal appearance when I am in combat. This... has not been pleasant."

My lies evoked a tidal wave of sympathy which I planned to abuse mercilessly. When we all have finished eating we went back on our way. Melkar challenged me to a race and exclaimed he would like to test my own claims.

"Very well, Melkar. Let us wait here for Landokmar to go ahead. Otherwise, when I inevitably beat you I will not know where to go."

The demon fumed a little but Landokmar waved it off and said, "Very well, Apex-Nick. We will ride for half a 'handturn' after which you and Melkar will test yourselves."

True to their words the three others raced off leaving Melkar and I alone. It turned out that half a 'handturn' was approximately fifteen minutes. Melkar yelled out it was time and offered to give me a headstart.

"There is no need for that. Let us commence, Melkar."

The demon shot off on his mount and I followed after the creature. Horses... while faster than people aren't really built for speed or endurance either. The demon started off galloping which was a fair pace, and if I had to guess around fifty kilometers an hour, but I knew it could keep up with that for long.

I kept even with the demon for a little while but when his angst-filled glances towards me I started cranking up the speed. Before long I had overtaken him easily and tracked Landokmar's scent to guide me through the woods.

Within minutes I was in sight of the three demons that had gone ahead of us. I raced past them for a moment, came to stop and bowed, and fell back to speed that matched theirs.

"Well done, Apex-Nick. Melkar likes to start things he knows he cannot finish. Perhaps he will learn from this."

I simply nodded and continued on my way. We moved through the woods for another hour before Landokmar called for us all to halt. Apparently his mystical powers were greater than my own senses because he obviously felt _something _was up.

The demon hailed me and said, "As our ward we cannot compel you to assist us but I will extend the invitation regardless. I can feel a faint disturbance ahead, likely some beast or other, will you fight with us Apex-Nick?"

I didn't so much as hesitate when I had figured out where he was going with this.

"If you give me a sharp weapon I will, Landokmar."

The demon nodded, gave me a short sword, and yanked out his massively larger sword from one of the packs on the spare horses. From yet another pack he extracted a small round shield, which looked a lot rather flimsy, and threw it at me.

I tried the sword out for a few swings, found it balanced rather well in my hands, and silently thanked Liam for his insistence I train with blades as well. I could positively hear his voice exclaiming 'You won't always be able to pick your own weapon, Nick'.

Melkar had finally caught up with us, was updated on the situation by Numfar, and switched horses.

Landokmar suddenly froze in shock and yelled out once he recovered, "Van-Tal's! Two of them!"

Oh good lord.

We were going to be fighting super vampires. Well... extremely instinct driven and _stupid _vampires really but still... super vampires.

"Apex-Nick! I hesitate to ask this of you but will you draw them into a trap for us?"

Did... did he want me to outrun a vampire for him?

I could do that.

I think.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 072: ?, ?-C*

I had taken off immediately after Landokmar explained the plan to me, built up some significant speed, and raced towards where he assured me the vampires were walking around.

When I got close enough to smell them on the air I realized the vague sense of _death _around it was absent. They simply smelled like blood. Dry, stale and caked blood but still... blood.

I could hear them react to my charge and both of the vamps did so by charging _me. _Their scent got stronger as they closed in, their footsteps echoed my heart, and the thought that my earlier lie would come to bite me in ass energized me.

Fuck leading them into a trap. I was just _so _fucking tired of everything and needed to simply _beat _something to pulp.

I was going to kill them.

The two vampires had split up, one of them foolishly tried to circle around wide, and the other kept his course straight at me. The last few meters between up disappeared in a flash as I took my final few steps toward it. I tried to rush slightly past it, cut _something _off, and dart onwards.

What actually happened was that my sword got stuck in its upper thigh, the creature's riposte caught me painfully, and I flew on account of its strength combined with my momentum high up in the air. My lungs expelled all the air in them when I landed roughly on my back but I thankfully recovered before the vampire was on me.

Through a sheer stroke of fortune the creature stumbled on a rock just before it reached me giving me just enough time to twist out of the way and extract my sword from it. I used my buckler to smack the demons wide swing away from me and push it further of its balance.

I followed up the strike with another cut to its legs, was rewarded by its scream of pain, and withdrew before the demon swung back around. I used my now greater mobility to dart in and out of its range continually cutting large gash's all over its body. My senses picked up the other vampires presence and I reacted by turning, throwing my buckler at its knees, turning back and jumping _over _the first vampire.

It's outstretched hands just barely missed me as I swung over him, landed a good distance away from it, and continued running. I knew the second vamp was basically unharmed and would catch up soon so instead of trying to run _away _I was running towards something.

I headed towards the nearest thick tree, jumped up and landed on one of its branches, and continued climbing upwards. I could feel both vampires first circling the tree and then following me up into it. Before they reached me however I had cut off a reasonably stout piece branch and jumped back down on the ground.

The two creatures followed me again but before they reached me I was already climbing up another tree. This time I didn't keep going and instead used my sword to cut off the little protruding side branches on my stick. I then employed one of only two pieces of magic I had access to _and _didn't need a focus. I picked up the tiny branches, chewed on my lip to gather up some blood in my mouth, and spit it out on them.

A quick blood boiling curse later and they were on first just as the unharmed vampire reached me. When I waited for to come into reach and levitated one of the pieces of burning wood _into _its open mouth I was fairly confident it wouldn't remain unharmed for long.

The second vampire pulled the first away just as it started burning up and grabbed for my leg. I tried cutting at the arm but the motion caught me off balance and I was thrown like a little ragdoll. I landed heavily on the ground just after the first vampire exploded into dust.

The only vampire left jumped out of the tree and towards me. The branches had gotten loose somewhere during my fall as had my sword. All I could do was scramble away and try to push myself off the ground.

That didn't quite work out as planned since the vampire reached me in the blink of an eye, kicked me across the clearing, and was on me again before I could get up. The demon grabbed me by the throat, picked me up, and screaming in pain as I spit another blood boiling curse in its face. The blood burn straight through its nose and into its jaw which was thankfully enough to pierce its fucking instinct driven bloodlust and it let me go.

I rolled with motion, got back on my feet, and swung out my leg to catch the bastard by the knees. The vampire dropped to ground, tried to get back up, but this time I was the one in charge. I had leapt towards it, used my telekinesis to gauge out its eyes, and kicked it in its face.

I wasn't very hopeful that it would knock him out but that wasn't the point. Now I had a little breathing room I bit down on my lip again, raced after the creature that was still rolling away due to my powerful kick and landed on top of it. I grabbed the thing by the head, ignored the way it trashed about as well as the _painful_ hits it was landing on my sides and ended it.

I let the pool of blood in my mouth fall on its throat, watched in glee as it burning a handful of holes cleanly through, and furiously jerked its head around. After the third attempt it snapped loose and the ashy explosion threw me into a coughing fit.

My heart felt like it was trying to break free from my chest and well... the rest of me wasn't in better shape. The entire fight had lasted _maybe _ forty seconds and the sense of accomplishment I felt from the idea that I bitch slapped two vampires... while crippled... was divine.

I fell on my back and let the haze of battle slowly recede as I caught my breath. While I was recuperating I cast my senses around and was pleased to note nothing was moving about. After a minute or so I got back up on my feet and started looking for my sword. I found it fairly quickly but when I reached the buckler I saw it had snapped cleanly in two.

Yup... it was just as flimsy as I thought it would be.

I started running towards where the ambush was supposed to be and after a good two minutes reached the little alcove where I was supposed to guide the two creatures. I raced through it, climbed the little rocky wall with two steps, and jumped over the two Pylean's crouched behind a log of dead tree. A log... that was on fire...

Well... I guess that was a good-ish plan.

I came to an abrupt stop, turned towards Landokmar and told him, "Sorry, guardian. I liked the fight too much and killed them both."

Landokmar took a moment to process that news and finally exclaimed, "You killed... both Van-Tals? Why didn't you at least leave one for me?"

He wasn't kidding either, which made pleased as peaches that I actually opened with an apology, and attempted to explain.

"They didn't give me much choice. Besides... these were weak foes. The short fight didn't even trigger my curse."

The Pylean seemed to consider that, nodded, and said, "Very well. In the future we fight _together_. Keep that in mind Apex-Nick. Sharing the glory is our most prized custom!"

"I understand, Landokmar. Shall we continue to your homestead?"

The rest of our trip to the Deathwok lands passed by without any incident but weren't a total snore fest as I regaled the tale, massively exaggerated of course, of my furious combat with both vampires. The Pylean's questioned my use of the term vampire but I explained the differences between theirs and ours.

They weren't very impressed when they found out about the sunlight deficiency of the vamps in my world but the other creatures exited them greatly. I told them about metallic creatures that raced across the roads, winged beasts that transported people in their bellies and the dark magics that powered the lights through the nights.

When we reached the homestead Landokmar took charge and immediately regaled the tales I had only hours before told him about with gleeful abandon. The Clan Elder exclaimed that the 'questioning' could wait until the morning and that a feast was in order once she found out I had slain two vampires over the course of a minute.

The feast itself wasn't really much to look at, or really enjoy, but the drink was good. When I got good and well sloshed however I made a slight misjudgment and started singing. I stopped immediately once I realized how my guardians reacted to it. My profuse apologies were however thankfully accepted and the rest of the night progressed rather well.

The Mother of the Vile Excrement slapped me on the back and said, "It is time for the little death until morning, Apex-Nick. The cow will lead you to your chambers. Consider it yours while you are here; Landokar has been remiss in not offering you a servant!"

I had of course seen the three human's the Deathwok clan kept but they had obviously kept away from all the merriment. There was a middle aged man who looked like he was on deaths door, a women who looked to be in her twenties and another women substantially older than that.

I briefly felt a pang of sympathy for their wretched existence but quickly reminded myself that I wasn't my fault. All three of the humans stood in front of me and I was still lost in my drunken stupor when Landokmar grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Pick, Apex-Nick! I suggest the yellow haired female cow; she doesn't look like much but she won't fall down in exhaustion on you. You'll need it to carry your torches for tomorrow."

"W-what's tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we go to the Fields of Honor! My clan's standing has lately diminished but with your help we shall reclaim our honor!"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 073: ?, ?-D*

Well, that certainly was awkward. The Mother of the Vile Excrement didn't take kindly to my news that her son Krevlornswath was a fairly successful 'tavern' owner in my 'hell dimension'. Apparently being a merchant isn't an acceptable occupation for a son of the Deathwok Clan. Landokmar especially expressed his disappointment that the cousin he so loved grew up to be a peddler of drinks.

Personally, I think Lorne's mother was hoping for news of the demise of her son.

"Let us ride, Apex-Nick. We do not want to be late!"

"So... I'm assuming this Fields of Honor thing... will involve a bit of blood and death?"

The Pylean scoffed and replied, "Of course! How else would you acquire honor?"

I... didn't really have a response for that. Instead I turned to my servant; a young blond girl called Kar, and asked her grab my supplies. The Pylean's didn't understand why I refused to simply order the girl around but seemed to let it slide on account of my 'foreign ways'.

Melkar had mellowed out of his resentment from losing the little impromptu race we had the day before and turned out to be actually reasonably nice. Both he and Landokmar regaled me with stories about their youth and made me intensely regret challenging them to a drinking contest.

Pylean constitution meant I lost. Terribly.

"Apex-Nick! I heard the Groosalugg will be attending the Fields of Honor! Do you think we should challenge him?"

No.

"Will he be fighting as well, Melkar?"

"Oh, no... he's not allowed. He is... " the demon trailed off with a contemptuous expression but eventually continued, "He is _clan-less_. There is no honor to be had for him. But there is much to be had _from _him."

Untangling how these alien creatures thought was a fucking exercise in futility. They simply looked at the world in a spectacularly different perspective... one which made little sense to me.

"I see... "

Kar had returned with the leather armor that was a gift from Lorne's mother. I wasn't exactly told but from what I had gathered during the previous nights partying that the Deathwok Clan had expended a tremendous amount of favors to acquire me a slot in the upcoming tournament. This on top of the influence they brought to bear to spring me from the palace meant that they _needed _to make a good showing.

Landokmar explained that the tournament was a fairly straightforward string of one-on-one fights. We would draw lots that dictated who we fought against and continue onwards through the rounds. The tournament itself would be held nearby on the Deathwok Clan's biggest rival lands. Every single time their name, the Mirawan Clan, was mentioned the entirety of the Deathwok Clan simultaneously spit on the ground.

Only Landokmar, Melkar and I would be participating in the Fields of Honor because... well people die. A lot.

The Deathwok Clan couldn't afford to lose any skilled fighters but they also couldn't really afford simply skipping out on it. The loss of face would hurt their standing making 'regaining honor' even harder for them. Weird fucking world...

**XxXXxX**

**?, ?**

"Kar drew the yellow and blue stick. What does that mean Melkar?"

"Shhh. Don't speak!"

Oh.

I settled in to wait the little ceremony out. Each of our servants would go out, set their torches on fire, and fish out a stick from a large wooden box. After which they'd pass it to us and take up position behind us. I counted thirty two warriors, including myself, which likely implied five rounds of fighting.

Finally the whole opening ceremony ended and Melkar answered my question, "You have the honor of the first brawl, Apex-Nick! Look at the stands; everyone wants to see you fight!"

I took that to mean they wanted to see me bleed.

The Fields of Honor were just that. A rather big field set up in a clearing inside the woodlands of the Mirawan Clan surrounded by wooden stands for the audience. The priestly class took the most prominent seats, behind them sat the Clan Eldars, and the rest of the populace was relegated to sitting on the ground all around the field.

Kar walked out to the middle, planted the torch that represented my share of honor, and headed back over to me. At the same time another girl did the same on the opposite side of the field.

Landokmar swung an arm around me and said, "If you make it through a round you will be granted the right to beg a boon off the Covenant. Perhaps... you could ask them to preemptively rule in your favor?"

I raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked, "That would work?"

"Of course! The Deathwok Clan doesn't need the baubles the Covenant can offer us so do as you please. Now go!"

The Pylean pushed me and I simply flew off towards the warrior that was busy charging me, loudly flaying about its mace as it did so. I noted the lack of grace and balance of the grey skinned demon with exited glee and decided to wait him out.

I came to an abrupt halt a few meters before him and settled into a defensive posture. I raised my shield, kept my new one handed axe, courtesy of Lorne's mother as well, lightly swinging around, and waited some more.

The ugly creature closed in, swung his mace at me which I deflected with my shield, and barreled past me. Fortunately for me... not before I had kicked out at its knee and caused it to go tumbling to the ground. The creature recovered quickly, dodged out of the way when I closed in with my axe, and hit me rather hard with his counter swing.

That was going to leave a bruise...

I ducked below the second follow up swing, swung my feet around to catch it by the knees, and watched in excitement when I saw him collapse after I heard the snapping of bone. I darted around the creature, kept swinging my axe around, and opened rend after rend on its less then mobile body.

Eventually creature seemed to decide on a last ditch attempt, dropped its weapon and shield, and grabbed onto my axe on a downswing. It tried to pull me close but I simply let the weapon go and saw the demon fall back to the ground.

Immediately after I fell on him with all the speed I could muster and firmly embedded my axe in its guts. That didn't quite seem to do the trick so I stepped on the creature, pulled the axe free, and continued hacking away at it until it stopped twitching. Well... that wasn't much of a fight.

Kar ran over to where she had planted my 'honor torch' and pulled it out from the ground. She continued onwards to the other torch and grabbed it with as well. The audience politely clapped but wasn't otherwise much interested in the short fight. At least they didn't boo me.

Landokmar waved over at me indicating I should kneel to the Covenant members and ask for my boon.

When I fell to my knees in front of them I raised my voice and loudly exclaimed, "I would have a boon of you, oh Covenant."

The high priest, which I knew was Silas... the bastard, rose and said, "State your request, half-breed."

I judged it time to take a gamble.

"I want the equipment that was confiscated from me by you."

Dead silence all around.

More silence.

Finally one of the other priests stirred and to my surprise started _laughing_.

"Accede to his request, _High-Priest_, unless of course you wish to break... the covenant of law?"

You have simply got to love political intrigue amongst your enemies.

Silas spoke up with his upsettingly cool reverberating voice, "Very well, half-breed. Your equipment will be sent to you.

I got back on my feet and headed over to a shocked Landokmar.

"Apex-Nick! Why did you not acquire your freedom?"

I lightly chuckled and replied, "I'll ask for it when I beat the next weakling."

That sent off the demons to fit of laughter and the three of us headed over to the drink stands. Both Melkar and Landokmar didn't have a duel scheduled for a while and judged that the first few fights wouldn't be very noteworthy.

"These are just men trying to make a name for them, Apex-Nick. After the last eight... that! That is when honor is to be had for us!"

When we reached the little drink vendor stands I the girl behind it spoke up, "W-what can I get for you, sirs?"

I turned towards her and was going to reply I wanted something non-alcoholic. What came out of my mouth however was, "Fred?"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 074: ?, ?-E*

"Do you know this cow, Apex-Nick?"

"Yes, I do, Melkar. She's called Winifred Burkle and she hails from my homeland."

The lithe slave-girl's voice softly came, "No..no... how?"

Fred was extremely shocked as evidenced by her attempts at backing away from the stand when I tried to get closer to her. The girl stumbled and fell backwards on her ass which caused me to slightly wince.

_Shit._

I didn't want to scare to the girl.

Her owner appeared from somewhere and started in on me.

"Half-breed! Stay away from my cow; she needs to work."

Landokmar jumped over the rickety shamble of a stand and grabbed the merchant by throat. He rose up the pitiful creature and held him close to his face.

"Do not speak so to my ward, _peddler_."

When the Pylean warrior dropped the vendor I ran up him and kept him on ground. I jammed my knee on his neck, held his head between my hands, and spoke softly.

"She's not your cow anymore, merchant."

His garbled response came swiftly, "Y-you can't! There are laws! She's mine and I need her! Who will do the work?"

"You will, fool. What makes you think I won't beg the Covenant for forgiveness for the crime of slowly cutting you up? Perhaps I'll even tear out your _rib cage and wear it like a fucking hat_."

All in all... it was a fairly pleasant and reasonable negotiation by Pylean standards. I was after all a _warrior_. Neither Landokmar nor Melkar questioned my desire to simply _take _the girl.

They may have found it odd, in the sense that Fred didn't strike them as a particularly useful cow, but they did back me up by keeping the peddler's relatives away from me. Melkar shook the merchant down for his remote control and threw it at me.

Fred was still frozen in fear but I slowly approached the girl with both hands raised. When I reached the girl I softly but firmly hugged her and spoke in soothing tones.

"Winifred Burkle, I'm Nicolas Blackwater and I was dropped here in this world just like you."

Her eyes widened comically but still she didn't respond.

"I found out about Professor Seidel, sweetheart. He threw you in this world because he was threatened by your genius."

This finally got a response from the girl, "No! I can't believe that... he wouldn't do that to me... "

"It doesn't matter. You're safe now, Fred. I'll get you out of here."

The air of despair around the girl was thick with tension, "I tried but I can't get the numbers right. This... this place is _wrong_ and nothing makes sense! And I tried so much but the _monsters _keep hurting me... "

"We won't need any numbers for this, sweetheart. Magic got us in and magic will get us out."

"M-magic?"

"Yes, Fred, magic. Now I need you to calm down, alright? I have to finish fighting my way out of this but after that we go home. Try to keep it together, sweetheart."

**XxXXxX**

**?, ?**

After an hour of trying to get the girl to accept her time in hell was nearing its end I heard the announcer yell out my name. Melkar and Landokmar had both won their battles but the former didn't make out of it without wounds. He claimed his opponent got in a lucky shot and left him with a large gash over his thighs.

The wound didn't bleed all that badly but it would wreck havoc on Melkar's mobility. This world being what it was he absolutely refused to back down from the tournament and seemed to accept his imminent demise during the next fight.

Landokmar wasn't much help either and the Pylean simply shrugged.

"We are Deathwok, Apex-Nick. We will not surrender our honor and if we must die... our clan lives on. Now, go! Don't make them wait."

Kar repeated the little torch ceremony and once she returned to my side I charged into combat again.

This time my opponent was a _massive _demon with tusks like a boar erupting from his lower jaw. The rest of him resembled an upright bulldog... that looked like it could rip me apart. Landokmar's advice was fairly chilly as well.

"His kind comes from the northern wastes, Apex-Nick. They grew immune to pain so do not try to your dance of blades with him. Just kill him fast because if he gets his hands on you... "

He mimed out a disturbing fate...

The bulldog lookalike rushed me, seemingly in slow motion, and again I settled into a defensive posture. The thing obviously wasn't quick but I was taking care to not underestimate it.

I kept my axe swinging, drawing out my private death zone, and vowed to try and kill it with a single swing. When after an eternity the creature reached me it swung out its massive spear, I jumped over it and twisted in mid air, landed behind the demon and tried to break his back with a tremendous swing.

It didn't seem to have much effect because the demon swung around, caught me with a wide swing of his spear, and I rolled with the motion. Once I was on my feet again I slowly approached the creature and waited for it to respond with the spear again.

I wasn't disappointed when I saw the tip of the boar spear dart towards me. I timed my response just right and managed to cut the tip off just as I stepped off to the right. I quickly turned back to the left, grabbed the grab just as the creature was withdrawing it and used the added momentum to land a massive strike right in the demons face.

I missed the eyes I was aiming for and watched in disappointment as my strike glanced off the creatures hard head. The demon ignored the hit and swung the spear with me still holding on to it over its head. I found myself hanging in the air and mildly surprised when the thing kept me high above its head.

Surprise turned to fear when he swung around his axis and took me with him. I held on for dear life until I realized I was being stupid. I let go of spear, landed on my feet, and was promptly knocked off of them when the spear crashed into my back.

_God damn it._

That stung like a bitch.

Before I could get back to my feet I was thrown clear across the clearing by a terrifyingly powerful kick. I tried rolling with the movement but an annoyingly positioned rock got my off balanced again. I struggled to get on my feet when the creature was on me again.

This time the kick drove me to the ground, I felt it being followed up by a strike from the butt of the boar spear, and then another... and another. The creature must have felt it wasn't doing enough damage so it threw the spear away and simply grabbed me.

With great futility I attempted to dislodge its massive arms from me but the bastard threw me around like a rag doll. I impacted against a row of commoners, was rather pleased they cushioned my crash, and finally recovered enough to stand.

I had lost my axe somewhere in the previous hazy seconds and only had my fists... and my magic. I run up the creature, poked in its eyes with some unfocused telekinesis, and jumped _over _its head. When I landed behind it I scurried around for my axe and got my hands on it just in time to be lifted off the ground by my feet.

I saw the staggeringly massive fist of the boardemon come at me when I had a wonderful idea.

I softly sang, "We're going to live foreverrrr... "

The demon looked intensely confused and kept right on being confused even as I embedded my axe deep into its groin. That finally got a response from it and it threw me over its head. I was getting really fucking tired of being thrown about and felt the Primal inch dangerously close to the surface.

Instead I took a deep breath, continued singing just loudly enough for only the boar demon to hear me, and charged it head on. At the last moment I jumped, twisted, and transferred all my momentum and force into a slide right at the bastard's knee. The impact threw the demon off balance and my foot hooked around its other leg didn't help either.

I kept up my steady barrage, eagerly anticipated sharing this particular story with Uncle Bob, and jumped on top of the now prone on its back creature. I swung my axe with both hands and with as much force as I could muster into its neck while keeping up my soft singing in mad glee.

One strike... another, another and another. Until the creature's head was separated from its body.

Fuck you very much you pain-less freak.

This time the audience exploded into thunderous applause and Kar darted off to collect both my 'honor torches.' I limped towards the priests, knelt again, and waited briefly for the applause to die down.

When I did I raised my voice and said, "I have a boon to beg of you, oh Covenant."

Silas voice betrayed his annoyance when he replied, "And what do you want now, half-breed."

"I wish to beg forgiveness for my impetuous slaying of your captain."

The still annoyingly badass reverberating voice responded, "That will not give us back our-,"

The priest who spoke up earlier interrupted Silas, "Silas! Shame on you."

Silas turned towards the other priest, "How dare you-."

The ballsy rival priest stood up, towering over Silas, and yelled out, "I dare because you shame our laws! The question is howdare _you _deviate from our laws and shame _all _of us in front of our spiritual charges!"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 075: ?, ?-F*

How do I keep getting in these situations?

The two priests had started sprouting law quotes, article this and subsection that. Somehow this led to the tournament being put on hold while the issue was being resolved. Silas and the other priest, who I found out was called Grimmar, aired out their dirty laundry in public to the utter shock of most of the audience.

Not to the shock of the Clan Elder's though. Landokmar took me off to the side after Grimmar informed me I was officially 'off the hook' by virtue of the strength of my arms and in perfect accordance with the Laws.

"I do not know how you did it Apex-Nick but this is _wonderful_."

He must have seen the confusion plastered all over my face as he immediately continued.

"The _priests _have hoarded all the power for generations now. The only reason they haven't crushed the Clan's is because they need our warriors. They have broken every other structure of our way of life down under a relentless campaign of pressure. Moments like these however... mean that factions inside the Covenant will reach out and court the Clan's! Our Elder's can draw out the negotiations for _months_."

Oh.

Yeey politics!

"I'm assuming the Clan's will demand some power back?"

"I think so, Apex-Nick. I do not pretend to know politics very well; that my aunt's prerogative."

I simply nodded and excused myself to go talk to Fred and Kar.

"How are you holding up, girls?"

As always Kar kept silent and shrugged. Fred however seemed to have recovered enough from her shock to question me.

"How do you know professor Seidel did this to me?"

"He kind of admitted to it, Fred, when he boasted about tempting you with the book in the UCLA library. He also threw _me _in here and I saw him do that."

Oh, no.

The girl started crying and all I could think to do was to pat her awkwardly on her back. Kar kept stealing glances towards us when she thought I wasn't looking. I didn't exactly know what to do with her beyond making sure that when I left I'd take her with me. How she'd adapt to life on earth after spending her entire existence in this hell-hole... well we'd find out I guess.

Melkar stumbled his way over to me together with Landokmar. The latter was carrying a large cloth sack over his shoulders and waved me over to him. I left the girl and raced over to meet the demons.

"The runner has arrived with your strange items, Apex-Nick."

Finally!

Something was going my way!

I practically ripped open the sack in my glee induced rush to get my _stuff _back. I took out my duster; and I felt around in for my stakes, crossbow, shotgun, stakes and bullets. All of them were present but finding my foci was a little more difficult. My axe felt _incredible _in my hands. Landokmar must have noticed I was looking for something because he bent down to grab the sack and dug around in it.

He frowned and said, "Are you looking for your jewelry?"

"Yes! Did you find them?"

The green skinned demon nodded but still seemed exceptionally frowny.

"You're a warrior, Apex-Nick. Why do you wear women's jewelry?"

Are you fucking kidding me? Give me my stuff, bastard.

I sighed deeply, attempted to reign in the Primal inching to the surface, and replied carefully, "It's all I have that connects me to _my _clan back home, Landokmar. Please give them to me."

The creature nodded and threw them over at me. I caught my lodestone, vampire fangs, and finally my bracelet. I must have put all of them on in less than half a second and I felt _complete_ again. I immediately jerked my bracelet, felt the soothing power of _Bank Safe _carry away my hurts, and topped it off with a _Fortress._

I caught Landokmar staring at me.

"What's wrong?"

"It is time, Apex-Nick, for us to fight. You are no longer our ward and are free to feel the consequences of your actions. I demand a duel!"

Oh joy.

He was right though. I didn't have a sword of Damocles hanging over my head anymore and if the green thing I pretended to be nice to wanted to die. So fucking be it.

"How and when do you wish to do this?"

The demon pointed towards the empty field and said, "This is as good a place as any. I see no reason to wait."

Melkar oddly enough wish _both _of us luck and after that we were off. I ignored Fred's admonitions to stay alive and headed towards the center of the field together with Landokmar.

"Is this to the death, Landokmar?"

The demon froze and stared at me in shock, "Would you attempt to win my service?!"

What?

"I don't know what you mean... "

The horned demon stared at me for a good long time before he seemingly came to a decision.

"I forget you do not share our customs, Apex-Nick. If you're a great enough warrior to subdue me without killing me... I am pledged to your service until you release. It is a fate worse than death, Apex-Nick. I for one... will simply kill you and adorn myself in glory."

Oh.

_Oh._

This has... potential. Reducing a Pylean to slavery sounded... absolutely wonderful actually. I knew what I was going to attempt now. I nodded to demon and busied myself rewinding my wrist stake-launcher, and once we reached the middle of the field Landokmar knelt to one knee. He indicated I should mimic him and when he said his little prayer I knew we'd fight.

Landokmar saw me fight twice and he certainly wasn't about to make the same mistakes as the other combatants had. He waited for me to make the first move and instead of charging simply circled around me.

Foolish.

I have my magic now.

I restructured my mind into _Bronze Bull _and casually threw it at him. I felt the spell connect and I smiled. My secret weapon was in place. I didn't feel the need to ramp up the pain beyond the incredibly faint tingling feeling the first level caused. That would come later

Fair play is for Pylean's and idiots.

I closed in while keeping my death zone marked out with my axe, fluidly darted in and out of his range, and baited him to come attack me. Landokmar didn't fall for it and kept his distance while competently fending off my blows.

After a few seconds of this give and take the Pylean finally jumped into action. He launched a devastating attacking that pierced my defense, accepted the axe cut I had landed on his arm, and kicked out at me knee. The thought that he used my favorite move against me hurt more than the pain caused by the kick... The bastard followed it up bashing me with his shield, caught me awkwardly by surprise, and I tumbled to the ground. He followed that up by another kick, this time to my lower back, and struck out with his sword. I barely managed to fend off the tip and guide it relatively harmless to find purchase in my shoulder.

Landokmar withdrew the sword and came in for another strike when I rolled away, tried to swing out at his legs but missed, and pushed myself off the ground with all the strength I could. I flew up a few feet, surprised Landokmar with the feat of athleticism and landed on my feet.

I ran up the demon, tried for a fake out to the left, and rushed to his right. The demon anticipated me and caught my axe with his shield after which he stabbed me cleanly in my guts. Now I could fairly easily heal the damage I wasn't so worried about the cuts and bruises of combat.

I moved in closer, felt the sword go in deeper, and grabbed his sword. The demon's confusion was wonderful to behold and I made it worse when I ramped up the pain curse. I kept a firm grip on the sword as the demon crashed to ground and then removed it at my own leisure. A quick _Bank Safe _later and I was good as new.

I knelt on top of the twitching demon and softly said, "Yield, Landokmar, yield before you're taken by madness."

He croaked out, "Why? Please... kill... me."

He was begging already. Wonderful.

"No, Landokmar. You will yield or I will leave you a mad husk. You will never fight for your clan again."

"Pl-please... "

Melkar, Fred and Kar had all closed in when Landokmar fell on the ground and made no movement to get up. The expression of horror on Melkar's face was only matched by Fred's expression of... was that glee?

I upped the pain levels once more and simply waited out the demon. Perhaps it would hold on until the pain curse killed it but I didn't think so.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 076: ?, ?-G*

"Y-y..ield. I yield."

My heart starting racing when I heard those delicious two words. The bastard that was complicit in taking away control over my life was breaking to my will. I removed the curse, lightly dabbed my finger in one of the cuts he acquired in the fighting, and drained his suffering into my lodestone.

I was about to ask whether he could stand when I heard Melkar explode in rage.

"No! No! How could you!"

The Pylean drew his sword and starting hobbling towards me. I brandished my axe, started carving out my radius of death, and waited from him to reach me.

"Get out my way! I'll kill the traitor!"

What?

Landokmar had gotten on his feet, gathered his sword and shield, with the most sullen expression on his face.

"Please stand aside, m-my lord. This cannot be avoided."

Fuck that.

I jerked my bracelet and threw a _Heat Death _at the slow moving Pylean's neck. The curse hit the demon perfectly in the throat and neatly separated his head from the rest of him. I calmly walked over, grabbed his head, and held up to my face.

"He's _mine_ now, Melkar."

The sheer profanity that spewed forth from the severed head would have been funny if the situation wasn't so dire. I had clearly miscalculated when I attempted to subdue the demon.

I should have bought more time or at least done this without any witnesses. If Melkar's reaction was indicative of how the rest of the Deathwok's would respond... things might get hairy soon.

"Landokmar is a member of _my _Clan now, Melkar. Until such time as I see fit to release him. Do you have any allies at this gathering that would take you to your home?"

"You cannot stop us from reclaiming him, _foul wizard_! I promise you... the full wrath of the Deathwok will fall on you if you attempt that! We will have his death!"

Clearly I wasn't going to be able to talk my way out of this. In the back of mind I had vague ambitions to go round up some human rebels and take them back to Sunnydale with me. Now though... I was going to need all my wits to escape from this hell dimension my own small group.

I turned to Fred and said, "Fred, go grab the sack that held my stuff please."

The girl nodded and darted off to go collect it. Once she returned I took the sack from her, started ripping it into shreds, and used it as a makeshift gag for the severed head.

"Landokmar. Do you have any ideas on how to get Melkar back to the clan?"

The demon took a while to respond before he said, "I can spend a personal favor with one of the warriors I know. He will take the body h-home."

"Take the body to go do that and afterwards meet me where we kept our mounts."

"At once, m-my lord."

"Wait! Do you have the device that control's Kar's collar?"

"No, m-my lord. Melkar carried that with him."

Fred immediately darted off to search the now motionless body; quickly fished it out and grabbed some coins as well. Clever girl!

Kar, Fred and I then headed over to the horses. Thankfully none of the other demon's bothered us. Hopefully that meant we had acted within the parameters of whatever the fuck it was that drove this society. I checked the packs on the horses and was rather pleased when I found enough food supplies to last us for at least a day or two. Likely more if we rationed it properly.

I didn't think water would be a problem, I had seen tons of rivers, and this world didn't strike me as one with a lot of pollution issues. With nothing more pressing to do I considered my options.

We needed to get out of the world and the one way I knew for certain was through the palace. I needed to somehow gain access to the spell books they kept there, say the words in the throne room, and figure out a way to ensure each of us landed together on the other side.

I wasn't too worried about Fred. She'd be fine wherever she went but Kar and Landokmar wouldn't last a day. In the show they had fixed that issue by being surrounded with metal... in an open top convertible. Obviously that wasn't an option now but if I remembered correctly... they might have only needed to be tied together with metal.

Hopefully... I could just pilfer some chainmail, cut through it with my entropy curse, and pray that wrapping it around us would work. Landokmar had finally returned to us and I directed all three of my newly acquired minions to get on their horses.

"Fred, can you use a crossbow?"

"Uhh, I'm better with guns. My dad took me shooting with him when I was younger."

Even better!

I reached into my duster, grabbed the shotgun, and handed it over to the girl.

"Ok, this isn't filled with regular buckshot. It's a modified incendiary device now with some cool settings."

A few minutes of explanation later and the girl assured me she had it figured out. I turned to Kar, dismissed the notion almost immediately, and instead told all of them to get moving.

"We need to head out to the Capital."

**XxXXxX**

**?, ?**

It was a few hours later when I thought of something.

"Landokmar, you told me you were a warrior of renown. Could you get us the palace's throne room?"

"Perhaps, my lord. It depends on whether the Castellan accepts my request for an audience."

Yup.

That wouldn't work. That left the secret tunnel Wesley and co escaped the castle from.

"Never mind. Do you know of any way into the palace that won't have people questioning us?"

"No, my lord. I never had reason to search one out."

Great.

This meant we'd have the search the grounds around it and that might take a while. The only consolation I had was that we'd arrive at the Capital after dark. Fewer demons should be out and about by then and we might actually pull it off.

"We should let the horses rest for a while now, my lord."

My minions all got off their mounts when I acceded to the request. My impatience must have radiated off of me because Fred came to sit down next to me.

"Are you alright?"

Wow.

"I should be asking you that, Fred."

The ex-slave girl shook her head and laughed mutely, "I'm fine... as fine as be under the circumstances. I just... I'm sorry but I can't wrap my head around this. I know you _seem _confident we can make it back home but... "

"Are you afraid to get your hopes up, Freddikins?"

The girl snorted involuntarily but sadly continued, "My mom called me that... she must be so worried about me."

I wrapped my arm around the girl, pulled her in close, and whispered, "I know how you feel. I haven't seen my parents in a while. It feels like an eternity ago... "

After a few seconds I continued when the girl remained silent, "Let's get your mind off of this. I need you to talk to Kar and find out how she feels about all of this. I don't think she'd open up to me and well... you might be able to relate better."

Fred nodded and headed off the girl who I still hadn't heard uttering a single word. I slipped back into my weary mind to figure out ways to escape this world. If we found the tunnels our entrance into the palace would be covered. That still left us the issue of grabbing the Wolfram &amp; Hart books, gaining access to the throne room, and holding off whoever would inevitably attempt to stop of from executing the spell.

I judged we had wasted enough time a little over half an hour later and we were moving towards the Capital again. I could faintly hear some _creature _moving about nearby but since it wasn't exactly making any threatening moves I just ignored it.

"My lord, something is scurrying about nearby."

"I heard, Landokmar, just ignore it unless it comes closer."

"Yes, my lord."

**XxXXxX**

**?, ?**

We finally arrived at the Capital, thankfully weren't assaulted by whatever it is we stumbled upon, and got through the gates by virtue of Landokmar cursing out the guard on duty. Once we got in I gave Landokmar an order I knew he would distasteful.

"I need a chainmail, or a plate, or just a large flexible piece of metal. Go acquire some for me, Landokmar."

"I do not have the funds necessary to purchase some, my lord."

"Then be creative and figure it out. Don't come back without it."

The shock was evident on his green face, "Would you have me steal it, my lord? I... that is extremely dishonorably... not that I have any honor to be shamed... "

"You didn't think poisoning a warrior you knew you couldn't beat was dishonorable. Regardless, you have your orders. Try not to get caught and meet us by the fountain."

I was rewarded with the demon flinching when I reminded him of his behavior when we first met, nodded bizarrely stiffly, and raced off into the darkness. Turns out that _was _a sore point for him.

"Fred, you and Kar scurry around for some rope. Or anything we can use to tie the metal around ourselves."

"Ok! Uhh... what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to look for a way into the palace."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 077: ?, ?-H*

With my minions sent out to do my bidding I headed out to the castle. Through my supernatural senses I kept away from the more obvious patrols and eventually managed to encircle the building twice. Unfortunately absolutely nothing stood out as a secret entrance.

The disappointment tasted extremely bitter my mouth.

I circled the building a last time but this time kept a closer eye on the guards. The main entrance was attended by a group of six, I noted two patrols of four soldiers each, and the side door was guarded by another six.

I needed a distraction.

I obviously couldn't simply fight my way through the gates, the reinforcements would kill my little band of minions, and that's not even counting the unknown number of troops inside the castle. The only bright side was that the building wasn't very tall and I was fairly certain I could scale it easily. A single bound would get me on one of the window ledges and from there I could jump up to the roof.

Now I just needed to figure out a way to draw the guards off.

I returned to the fountain and settled in to wait for my people. Kar and Fred came back first with a few sheets of cloth.

"Sorry! We couldn't find ropes so I just thought... let's make some."

I took the 'rope' from the girls, tested its strength, and replied, "Good thinking. Now, while we wait for Landokmar, we need to tie all of this together. I couldn't find a way in so we need to scale the walls."

We spent the next few minutes tying them all together and once I was satisfied it would be long enough we used the rest for a separate rope. The little one would be our anchor for the metal while I'd use the longer one to pull up my minions.

A window opened across the street and a head popped out to say, "What are you cows doing there?"

I twisted my bracelet and fired off a _Heat Death_ at the offending head. The demon died before he could so much as blink and I quickly huddled both Fred and Kar off to an alley. There we sat in wait for Landokmar, desperately hoping there wasn't anyone else in the room with the demon that could cause a ruckus.

Landokmar appeared after a minute or so but didn't seem be to carrying anything.

When the demon reached me he fell to knees, "I couldn't find any metal, my lord. I attempted to draw out a guard to take his armor but they never separated. I offer my deepest apology."

Fuck.

I breathed deeply, kicked the Primals anger down, and replied, "Fine! We'll find some in the castle. Let's go."

I sent the three of them to trudge off to the path I had used just minutes before and told them to wait nearby the castle. I gave them a minute or two to get into position before I jumped up to the roof of the nearest building. I bit my lip, cast a super heated blood boiling curse, and let the incendiary drops fall on the roof. I quickly ran across it, jumped to the next building and repeated the process.

By the time I had reached the fourth building I started a fire on, after skipping a few roofs just to make sure the responding guards split up, I noticed the first building finally caught fire. I rushed across a few more buildings, spitting liquid fire as I went, and within minutes I had an entire block in flames.

Two separate patrols streamed into the little neighborhood and thankfully didn't spot me at all. I guess the pretty flames must be awfully distracting. I continued onwards, dropped to the ground to cross some more distance, and jumped back up to neighborhood across from the castle.

I repeated my little firespit trick, over and over, but miscalculated when at last one of demons who rushed out of its house saw me and screamed.

"Cow! Cow on the roof!"

That was my cue to go.

I dropped to the ground, disappeared into a nearby alley, and dashed off into a little park. There I veered off to the right, kept increasing my speed, and drew my crossbow. If anything could keep up me I'd riddle it with holes if it was too far away for _Heat Death_.

Out of sheer misfortune, and through the unlikely wind shift and their lack of armor, I completely missed the patrol that came around the corner. Unfortunately they didn't miss me.

I cast a large _Flash Bang_ and threw it in their midst. Just to be on the safe side I lobbed another... and another in their little group. Immediately afterwards I healed the damage to my own hearings and sight with a _Bank Safe _and rushed headlong into combat.

A quick _Heat Death_ killed the first guard, another died while he was still flailing about by a bolt through the neck, the last two however seemed to be recovering. I sped up, put the crossbow away, and drew my axe. Swinging madly I fell on to the two remaining guards, caught one of the square on the head knocking his armor off and his ass out, while the other screamed a warning out into the night.

I started loudly singing, thinking the sonic booms from my concussive spell drew patrols to the spot already, and saw the creature grabbing for its ears. In that unguarded I swung a well aimed blow at the demons neck and promptly severed it from its head.

I heard the clinking of armor nearby so I turned away again and plotted out an alternate course. I assumed the demons wouldn't consider that I'd be this fast so my route over the roofs was an option again.

After about thirty seconds I was proven right when I had the castle in sight. I jumped to the ground, kept up my speed, and noted with pleasure that there were only two guards on the main entrance. I kept going, found the scent of the girls in the air, and quickly found them.

"Ok, Fred, hand me the rope when we reach the wall and when I'm on top of the building grab on to it. Landokmar; keep the girl's safe at all cost."

We inched towards the side entrance, which was guarded by only two soldiers, and once I got close enough a _Heat Death _reduced it to just one guard. The other looked around, saw me, and foolishly charged straight at me. Another entropy curse later and the coast was clear.

I grabbed the rope from Fred once we reached the wall, picked up one the guards bodies, and jumped in two bounds to the top of the roof. I lowered the rope, saw Fred and Kar secure themselves to it, and I yanked the rope for all I was worth. In less than ten seconds I had gotten both girls up on the roof with me and another ten seconds later and Landokmar made it up there as well.

I headed over to the door, presumably the ones they only use while under siege, and slowly but surely pushed it out of its frame.

I turned to Landokmar and whispered; "How do I remove the collars from the girls?"

"The device has a knob you can twist, my lord. It releases the mechanism."

I twisted and turned both little devices, saw Fred clutch her throat in utter relief, but stopped her from throwing it to the ground.

"No. I want to study it, Fred. Don't break it."

That clearly didn't make her happy but both she and Kar complied. I noticed Kar started tearing, cursed myself for not warning her about this, but couldn't spare another thought to it. I picked up the guard and started cutting into him and his armor with short bursts of _Heat Death. _A minute later and I was finished cutting off the creatures extremities to make getting the armor out easier.

Landokmar assisted me with that process and despite the awkwardness of the moment we finished in good order. I threw the armor over at Kar, saw her buckle slightly under the weight, but the girl recovered and nodded. We headed into the stairwell and once we reached the bottom I repeated the same trick with the door. You have simply got to love their ancient and terrible frames.

"Where is the throne room?"

"We are close, my lord. It's just around the corner."

_Finally_!

Finally something was going my way.

We rushed out through the hallways, opened the unlocked door, and streamed into the massive hall. I was hit with an immediately sense of relief when I saw the case of books in the corner but that turned to frustration when I saw two servants frozen in fear.

_Shit_!

I whispered to Landokmar, "Order them to be quiet and fall on the ground face down. Tell them there is an intrusion and that you're here to guard the throne room."

The demon complied, as did both servants, and I raced across the room to grab a large and heavy looking table. I threw off the cutlery and glasses on it, winced at the noise it made, and carried the table to the door. Fred anticipated me, closed the doors, and moved Kar out of the way.

She then surprised me by going to the fireplace, taking out two un-burnt sticks, and jamming them under the door when she returned to it.

Clever, clever girl!

I ran to the book case, speed read my way through the titles, and finally found the three books I was looking for. I waved Landokmar over and asked him if he could read.

"No, my lord, warrior's do not have-."

I immediately cut him off when he replied to the negative and ordered him to tie the ropes through the holes I made in the armor.

Fred came up to me, together with Kar, and asked, "What can we do?"

"Kar, you go collect all the treasure and valuables in the room. Fred, go destroy the crystal on the pedestal."

I took a deep breath, opened all the books, and started searching for the relevant passages. It took some doing but eventually the mess started making _some _sense when I found a decent starting point. The show didn't lie about how annoying reading the start of a paragraph in one book, the middle in another, and the ending in the last book actually was.

It must have been a good ten minutes before I finally found the right phrase and dashed out to the fireplace to grab an ashy burnt stick. I raced back, marked the relevant lines, and dropped the book in Fred's hands.

"Read those lines phonetically out loud. Keep repeating them if the first time doesn't take."

The girl nodded, I ran over to the two servants, and knelt down next to them.

I jerked a _Flash Bang _into existence, held it over their heads, and spoke up, "Look at me."

When the two men looked up with a not unsubstantial amount of fear wafting out of them I told them, "We destroyed the device that powers your collars. I can attempt to rip them off but I'm not sure it won't... kill you. Decide what you want me to do but first; strip off your tunics."

I repeated myself a little louder when they hesitated and nearly ripped the paltry clothes from them when I felt it took too long. I looked over at Landokmar, saw he was nearly done connecting the pieces of plate metal, and raced back over to the book cases.

I ripped open both tunics in fell swoop, tied them back together, and started collecting any books that sounded _interesting _into the make-shift sack.

Suddenly the world _shook _and Fred squeaked in undisguised glee.

"It worked! It worked!"

Landokmar wasn't a stupid demon so he immediately went over to Fred and Kar. I rushed to grab both servants, fuck giving them an option... they were so indoctrinated they couldn't make informed choices anyways, and dragged them over to the group. Kar handed me the gold plates, jewelry and whatever she deemed valuable, and dumped it all into the home made sack together with the large stacks of books I collected.

The two servants started trying to inch away when I grabbed both of them, picked them up, and deposited them in the middle. Landokmar wove the rope with the metal plates around us, Fred continued where he left off, and finally Kar twisted the last bits into a knot.

Like a human chain gang that didn't get along we all hobbled towards the shimmering air and despite the best efforts of the two servants we fell through it.

This time... this time I welcomed the intensely nauseating feeling with all my heart.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 078: June 26th, 1997*

Our entire tied up group fell to ground in an undignified heap of tangled flesh. The two nameless servants especially kept wriggling about in fear but I wasn't much better. When Landokmar and I finally grabbed out to the rope and ripped it apart we jumped out of the mass of limbs.

I made a quick headcount, breathed a sigh of relief when we were all accounted for, and dropped down into a nearby chair. I looked around for the first time and realized we were in Lorne's Caritas.

Wonderful.

I pulled up my Primal and unleashed a loud roar, "**Lorne! Wake up, Lorne!**"

With that out of way I jumped across to room to get to the liquor bar, took a cold beer from the fridge, and relaxed for what felt the first time in years. I was lost in my thought for a moment when I felt a crushing grip around me.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Fred held me in a veritable death grip and it took quite some doing to convince the girl to let go.

"Hey, I told you I'd bring you home with me. Chin up, Freddikins."

At that moment Lorne walked out of his room, froze in utter shock, and simply kept quiet.

"Krevlornswath! It is true... you really are a peddler of drinks!"

"What... how?"

"Your friend, my lord Apex-Nick, has brought us through a strange magical circle-cloth rope and some books."

The empath turned towards me, "Could you translate that for me, sunshine? It's far too late and I'm not entirely convinced I'm not stuck in a horrible nightmare!"

"Someone threw me into Pylea. I've gotten out and brought some friends."

The empath demon face palmed and simply said, "Oh."

"Yea. I need your phone. I have people to call, Lorne."

The still slightly dazed Lorne waved vaguely in some direction. I was about to ask again when Fred pointed at the phone behind the bar.

"Thanks Fred. Could you... talk the others through what just happened? We can't have them trying to run off into the streets."

The girl nodded and I quickly dialed my home number but nobody picked up the call. It was rather late so I didn't even bother calling the school. Instead I dialed for Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet.

After a good long while someone finally responded, "Who is calling me at this ungodly hour!"

"Hey Robert, how have you been?"

Dead silence.

"Nicolas... I'm of half a mind to strangle you. Convince me why I shouldn't."

"Uhh... that would make my escape from a hell dimension rather pointless?"

More silence.

"So... "

Still more silence.

"Really, how did things go in Sunnydale? Are my pets alright?"

"They are fine, boy! They aren't the ones you should be worried about... "

The disembodied voice on the other side of the line sighed deeply and continued, "They've been staying at my shop for the past few days. Your pet vampire is here as well."

"Nick?"

"Hey, Liam. I... uhh... how much did you hear with your vampire senses... ?"

"I could have sworn I heard you say you escaped from a hell dimension... "

"Ah. That's pretty much it. I'm going to stay in LA for the night but I'll be in Sunnydale tomorrow. Could you pass the message to everyone?"

"No. Not before you tell me how you ended up in _hell!"_

**"**Look... some physics professor opened a portal right under my feet. I fought my way clear of the demons that tried to keep me there and well... I'm home now. I brought friends too!"

Even more silence.

"Nick... you say these things like... "

"The past few days have been hard on me, alright? I deal with things by being glib and dickish. What else is new? Anyways... we can catch up on everything tomorrow. Thank you for keeping an eye out on my people."

"You're welcome. Don't hang up, du Blanc wants you."

"Boy! If you're not here by the crack of dawn tomorrow I swear, boy... "

"I'll be there! Maybe a little later. Like... around midday. Buhbye, Robert."

Fuck it. If I was going to pay I might as well go all out. I quickly hung up the phone before Robert could use one of his nifty spells to strangle me through the phone line.

One last call to make!

An exceptionally tired voice answered the phone, "Who is this?"

"Giles. No, I mean, it's me... Nick."

"Nick! What on earth... what happened to you? We've all been worried senseless... are you alright now?"

I let a small grin grow and replied, "Long story short; someone threw me into a hell dimension, I made it out. I'll be home tomorrow."

"Good god... "

I could almost picture the man grabbing the bridge of his nose with all the force he could muster.

"Yea. Could you let Buffy know? I don't have number."

"Of course, no problem, now kindly stop being so childish and explain where you've been precisely."

I sighed and had to admit Giles was growing wise to my little exercises in glibness.

"The dimension is called Pylea. I uhh... may or may not have overthrown their way of life... just a little. Still I fought my way clear of the demons with some help and made it home."

Or maybe not.

"Oh... I see. Did you have a good time?"

What.

"You could say that... "

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. Do try and not lose touch with reality again, Nick."

Wow.

Giles was growing snippy.

"Okiedokie!"

**XxXXxX**

**June 26th, 1997**

Lorne went and ordered all of us a bunch of takeout. Fred insisted the majority of that to be delivered in the form of taco's and I didn't particularly care enough either way. While we were waiting for the food the girl dragged me off to side.

"Ok. The tall guy is called Mica and one with the bulging muscles is Lib. They claim to be members of the resistance who infiltrated the servants of the palace and... well they want to be sent back."

Oh...

"Ok... how about Kar?"

"Oh no! She's ecstatic! I'm taking her shopping and sightseeing the moment I figure out how to get my hands on some money."

Heh.

"Don't worry about that. So... how about you Fred? Will you come with me to Sunnydale or should I put you on a bus to... wherever you're from?"

The girl raised an eyebrow and replied, "You knew my name and that Seidel dropped me into hell but you don't know I'm from Texas?"

Whoops.

"I... didn't want to put you off. I kind of saw you in a vision. Keep it hush hush please. There are a _lot _of things that would _love _to rip out my eyes for them."

Her eyes widened comically but she recovered nicely.

The girl slapped me on the arm and hissed out, "Who do you think I am? I'm not going to repay you by betraying your secrets!"

Jackpot. Now she's brought up the subject of debts...

I smiled widely at the girl and said, "You didn't answer me before though, Freddikins."

Fred fell in a contemplative silence for a moment before she spoke up, "I'm coming with you. I... don't want to deal with the real world just yet. Is... is that alright?"

"No problem, Fred! Why don't you and Kar start all of us off by using Lorne's shower first? We all could really... really use one."

We headed back to the bar where Lorne and Landokmar where furiously whispering with each other. Kar was silently sitting on a bar stood but looked otherwise extremely content. The two lads we kind of kidnapped however were a little more agitated.

"So, boys... sorry about this all. If you want to go back I can arrange that but... not any time soon."

Lib responded angrily, "Why not?!"

I was tempted to respond; because I don't fucking feel like it. Ungrateful bastard.

"Why am I not rushing back to the world where humanity is chattel? I wonder... "

"You don't have to come you know... but we... we have responsibilities."

"To the rebellion I presume? I have... an opportunity for you guys."

Lib looked ready to wave it off but Mica seemed to be made of sterner stuff. Or he was just a lot smarter. Who knows...

"Like what?"

"I can train you in combat for a few weeks. Teach you how to use weapons that make whatever the Covenant has look like... well little children running around with sticks. When I'm done with you two... you'll be able to destroy the Covenant by yourselves."

Mica seemed to consider it for a moment but Lib immediately responded just as angrily as before.

"How do we know we can trust you?"

I quickly and bitingly responded, "Good question. I wonder what makes you think that jumping through a portal I'd make for you is a good plan then."

Mica slapped Lib on the back of the head and replied, "We will take you up on your offer, sir."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 079: June 27th, 1997-A*

"By the great twins... "

After we had all had breakfast, courtesy of Lorne, we headed out to the lot where my car was parked. I had run out the night before to go collect it, briefly considered swinging by the Seidel's office to burglarize but eventually decided against it, and drove the car back to Caritas. Seidel deserved a more... inventive punishment. The fact that giving that particular... kill... to Fred might cement her loyalties to me and firm up her darker tendencies were a large part of the decision as well.

"Don't fret. These are just devices mankind has made to... well make themselves stronger and faster."

Landokmar hadn't said a word since we left Lorne's club. The Pylean clearly had a tough time reconciling the state of the _cows _in this dimension compared to those in his homeland. Maybe this would be a good thing for him.

"This is unnatural, my lord."

Or not.

Lib and Mica were tickled pink when they grasped the circumstances of the Pylean's service and I had to have more than one conversation with them about it. Lib especially simply couldn't resist poking the 'caged' bear but that problem was solved fairly easily in the end when I lost my temper. I grabbed the burly man and threw him up in the air.

When he came down... I threw him right back up again.

Eventually he got the message. Landokmar was _mine_ and he best not mess with him. The situation was precarious enough as it was and I couldn't afford the creature deciding suicide suddenly became a more appealing alternative.

"From your point of view it must be. This world's humankind would never suffer a ruler who isn't one of them. A large portion of us don't even accept _anything _divine."

Landokmar was perturbed but he seemed to just let it slide. His next words however betrayed his alien point of view.

He wisely leaned towards me and whispered, "How certain are you, my lord, that these humans are the same as our cows?"

Oh.

To be honest... beyond the fact that they look really similar... I wasn't _sure._

"I'm not quite sure... but knowing that your Covenant had a device that could kill _all _of the humans on your world... well that would imply they have a source that isn't home-grown so to speak."

Landokmar looked like he was about to reply but Fred inadvertently cut him off.

"So... how are we going to do this?"

"Uhh, Kar, Mika, you and Landokmar can squeeze in the back. Maybe one of you sits on Mica's lap. Lib and his massive frame can sit in the front seat next to me."

Throughout the trip to Sunnydale everyone in car but Fred and Kar kept fielding question after question. How do you make buildings out of glass? Why do you only have one sun? What is that _thing _in the air?

Fred and I alternated answering them but after an hour or so I was starting to get sick of it. I dug through the glove compartment to fish out my noise cancelling ear buds and passed them to Landokmar.

"Put those in your ears. I want to listen to some music."

After the demon struggled with them for a minute Fred either took pity on him or just got frustrated. She took the buds, forcefully grabbed his head, and put both of them in. Seconds after that I blared the radio and the moment we left the city proper and got on the highway I ramped up _way _past the speed limit.

Lib was ecstatic and showed his joy at the speed by yelling at the top of his lungs. Mica and Landokmar seemed to be dealing with it by freezing up and holding onto whatever was their equivalent of a security blanket. Kar was silent as always but the girl's eyes and facial expression betrayed her contentment.

**XxXXxX**

**June 27th, 1997**

"That was...you will let me do this again won't you, Nick?"

"No problem, Lib."

The big guy's personality had undergone a one eighty shift. His suspicion has mostly melted away in the face of my implacable logic but after the high speed car ride he was positively giddy.

Mica said, "Not for me! If I can at all avoid this... "

Unfortunately Mica and Landokmar completely disagreed with Lib. They didn't quite puke their guts out but were obviously not entirely comfortable. Kar, as always, was a bit of a mystery. One of these days I needed to get her to speak up.

"Ok, listen up people. The owner of the establishment is my mentor; he's a grumpy old man but he means well. Do not, under any circumstances, antagonize him."

Once I got everyone on the same page I continued, "The rest of the people are more flexible. However... Landokmar, try to stick close to me, they might seek to kill you for... you know."

"I'm afraid I do not know what you know, my lord."

"You're a demon, Landokmar. Over here we kill your kind. A lot."

"Oh. I will seek refuge in your shadow then, my lord."

Good.

My odd band of survivors followed me into Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet where I was immediately bowled over by Marcie. The moment I felt her arms around me I was struck by the notion that the girl must have _again _disappeared from the senses of everyone around her.

Poor girl.

"Nick! I've been waiting for you at the door!"

"Hey Marcie, I missed you and my boys."

Her exclamation roused the others and they came rushing out of their respective rooms. Robert, Willow and Giles emerged from the back office. Angel, Drew, and Jonathan erupted from the basement followed by Buffy and Xander.

I smiled my widest smile and said, "Hello everyone. Old friends, meet my new friends, play nice with each other."

Buffy and Liam kept their eyes on Landokmar who made it a point to stay behind me. Fred took charge and went over to group to introduce herself.

"Hello ya'll. My name is Fred Burkle, well Winifred, but my friends call me Fred. Nick saved me, all of us, from the... bad place where we were."

Giles ever the gentleman replied, "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Burkle, and I think I speak for everyone when I say Nick has a penchant... for being involvement in mindboggling situations."

That was a compliment... right?

Buffy came up to me, slapped me fairly hard across the shoulder, and said, "You're not allowed to just disappear! _Especially to_ _Hell!_"

"Come on Buffy... they just call it hell but it wasn't the fire and brimstone you're thinking of!"

"Is that supposed to make it better?

I just sighed and decided discretion was the better part of valor, "No, you're right. I'm sorry I worried everyone."

By falling into a portal over which I had little control thank you very much.

"Good! Now, we need you to heal Willow and Giles. They got hurt in an ambush yesterday by Drusilla and the little creepy kids Court. Oh and Andrew still has a broken arm. Go fix them and we're even!"

I did kind of feel bad I didn't immediately heal Andrew after my meeting with the major but well... I had things on my mind. Not that that was a valid excuse, I really did need to do better.

Robert levitated Buffy out of the way, and pinned me with a glare, after which he grabbed me and shook me for all he was worth.

"Boy! I lost you in that damned infernal city! Do you have any idea what I was planning on doing? I came _this _close to burning down the Wolfram&amp; Hart offices to make them find you before I realized that wouldn't do anything!

"I-I... I'm sorry Robert. I went to the library at the UCLA to grab some books on portals but that didn't pan out so well."

"If we didn't have the enemies we did I would burn those tattoos off of you and load you up with tracking spells, boy. Do _not _make me do that."

I simply nodded and replied, "Ok."

"Good. Now tell me why you've brought a Pylean here?"

"Oh... he's mine."

"I see. Alright."

Buffy and Giles however didn't take it so easily.

Buffy quietly asked, "I know I teased you with this before, Nick... but you do know that slavery is _not _ok right?"

"He's not my slave!"

"In essence I am, my lord, I am not longer free to do my bidding."

I palmed my face with my hand and slowly bit out, "Fred. Please tell them what his kind do?"

The girl's furiously cold voice came, "They collared us with shock collars. Hurt us every time we didn't obey them. I had to watch as they killed and ate my... my... I wouldn't say friends. _Slaves _can't have friends. That luxury, like _everything else_, is taken away from you. We were forced to work until we bled, until we broke, and then forced to do a lot more. We weren't '_people'_ anymore... so please take your sanctimonious drivel and shove it where the sun don't shine."

Mica and Lib made a point of drawing everyone's attention to their collars and Mica briefly spoke up.

"They call us _cows. _I don't really know Nick but you _don't _know how it was there. The boy could torture him daily and I'd only ask if I could join in."

That certainly chilled the atmosphere in the room but Fred concisely mirrored my own opinions. Buffy tried to respond, presumably to apologize, but I interrupted.

"And even after that... I'm not _forcing_ him to obey me with the threat of death. I didn't want to kill him... he didn't want to _not _kill me and here we are. Think of me as a Baron and him as my Knight who owes me fealty. That's resembles the situation a lot more than the state most humans in Pylea have been reduced to."

The rest of the introductions felt a little forced and I knew I had my work cut out smoothing over these new fracture lines. I seriously doubted Buffy would let go of that black and white morality any time soon...

Andrew and Jonathan cornered me once the greetings were out of the way and motioned for Marcie to go do _something_.

"Good to have you back, Nick, but we need to tell you something."

Before Jonathan had even finished speaking up I let a stake fall into my hand, slightly cut Andrew's arm up, and jammed my finger in to drain his hurts.

"Ok... shoot."

Andrew tried to thank me but Johnny waved him off and turned back towards me.

"I... I don't know how to say this but... Constantine has gone insane."

What.

What.

_What?_

The Primal inadvertently raced to the forefront of my mind and I very nearly yelled, "**Explain**."

"It happened five days ago, no four days, when he suddenly... snapped. He started attacking everything that moved and trashed the living room. We had to subdue him and lock him in a cage... ."

"**How is he now?**"

"He got better after a few hours but he's been despondent ever since. We tried letting him out once but he only ran away... catching him was... "

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 080: June 27th, 1997-B*

"We had to sedate him Nick. Uncle Bob put a 'sleeping beauty' spell on him... to stop him from hurting himself."

Marcie had returned by then with the cage where they kept my little Constantine. I rushed over to her, grabbed the cage, and pulled my puppy out of it.

"**Hey, hey buddy."**

I infused him with my magic, my essence, and _tore _at Robert's magic. I felt the integrity of the spell structure collapse and effortlessly diffused the magic into the air.

Immediately my mind was assaulted by impressions from Constantine's ragged psyche.

_Loss. Pain. Loss. Confusion. Loss. Pain. Loss. Confusion. Loss._

For the first time ever I tried to send flashes of _understanding _towards Constantine. I directed a steady barrage of comfort, togetherness and sheer possessiveness. I felt more than I saw Constantine gather up his fractured little mind and I used my own magic, which still suffused the little bugger, to give the poor puppy something to hold on to.

The world fell away from my perception and there was only me and my puppy.

**XxXXxX**

**June 27th, 1997**

I woke up with a start and immediately sent out an _understanding _towards Constantine. When the pup replied in kind my heart leapt with joy. The little lab burrowed out from under the blanket at my side and jumped on my shoulder.

I grabbed the puppy and held him as tight as I dared.

"You worried me little man. I'm... I'm sorry I left."

Constantine showed what he thought of that by nipping my finger and licking up the blood that dripped out of it. A few seconds later he settled down, barked twice, and fell back asleep.

He must be so tired...

I rearranged the blanket for Constantine and put him down on top of it.

Three meters from my head Liam and Landokmar were locked in combat... how did I not notice this?

Marcie, who now was visible again, spoke up "Nick! How is Constantine?"

"He'll be fine when he wakes up, Marcie, _I hope_. How are all of you?"

The girl sat down slightly behind me, hooked her arms around me, and nestled her face into my neck.

"It... it was scary not having you here. The vampires went insane... I think their numbers doubled over the past week."

I frowned, nodded, and said, "Alright. I'm back now though, Marcie. We'll figure out a way to kill them all."

"Good! They hurt Willow and Giles. Don't tell them I said this... but as long as they don't hurt any of _us... _I can deal."

Hearing roughly my own words from the girl's mouth brought a smile to my face.

"I won't, Marcie." I reached out to pet her hair and said, "Tell me exactly what happened."

Once the girl got done giving me a recap of the past five days I missed I was seething with fury. Fucking Drusilla had teamed up with that creepy little Anointed One. Together those two seemingly acquired control over most of the vampire population in Sunnydale.

In addition to that they had gone on a mad rush to convert as many people as they could. According to Marcie the local police department _did _start patrolling at night but only in the wealthy neighborhoods. While that _was _reasonably good news her next piece of information wasn't.

When I had disappeared Liam jumped the gun and spilled the beans to Giles. The Watcher being who he is couldn't keep his trap shut and told Buffy about it. He was at least of some help in the sense that he had restrained the girl from making any stupid moves towards the Mayor. Not that he actually did that out of sense of perspective on the situation. Robert had simply vetoed any action.

Giles apparently hadn't exactly approved and went as far as to say that I had made a 'deal with the devil'. The man should have known better. The chaos that the town was currently enveloped in... that would be the tip of the iceberg if the Mayor dies... at least before either the Slayer or myself rack up an impressive enough reputation.

You'd think the Terror would be a help in that situation but most of his rep was built on the lack of information that surrounded him. The only thing people really knew about him were that his enemies ended up dead. The how and why's of it... remain a mystery.

That doesn't exactly lend itself for the kind of reputation we'd need. Obviously it was uniquely suited to keep people from messing with you specifically but still... not the kind that simply makes people give up before they seriously consider it.

In any case... now I needed to deal with the fallout from this.

"Marcie, go round up everyone, we need to clear things up."

**XxXXxX**

**June 27th, 1997**

Everyone had gathered around the massive desk in the basement of the magic store. The atmosphere was tense and I could help but notice the positions everyone instinctively took up

I was seated at the head of the table with Buffy taking up the seat directly opposite me. To my right sat Robert, calm as can be with a smirk on his face, and across from him sat Andrew. Down the line on my right sat; Jonathan, Liam, and Willow. On the left it the line up read as; Marcie, Xander, and Giles.

Landokmar stayed on his feet behind me and even Fred lent her support. I hadn't expected the girl to involve herself but when I asked if she'd be more comfortable upstairs with Kar, Lib and Mica she said...

"Nick... are you going to fight demons?"

"Yes, Freddikins. Quite a few of them."

"Good! I've acquired a grudge against them. You wouldn't be trying to keep me out of it... would you?"

I just smiled and told her I wouldn't dream of it.

Operation acquiring the ridiculously gifted genius's loyalty seemed to be well on the way. For everything I gained though... I seemed to be losing Liam. I hadn't directed anyone to their seats, and the fact that hadn't angled for Andrew's position niggled at me.

That was a concern for another day though.

I took a deep breath and started speaking, "Liam told you about the Mayor and his position in the center of the web of intrigue that envelops Sunnydale."

After that I fell silent. Best to let Buffy and co. make the first move.

Giles took the lead for them, "Indeed he has. I find it worrying you did not, Nick."

"Why?"

The man frowned and said, "It implied you do not trust us, Nicolas."

I sighed deeply and replied, "That would be because I don't."

Buffy yelped in outrage, Liam turned towards me vaguely confused, but Giles remained calm. Willow and Xander both scrunched up their faces but didn't respond.

Giles however did, "I... I didn't expect that reply. Why not?"

"Don't get me wrong, Giles. I trust that you and Buffy have the best interest of this city at heart. My lack of trust comes from your unwillingness to act on it though."

That was too much for Buffy and she exclaimed, "What! I've done nothing _but _act. How can you say that?"

I held up my hand and replied, "You've found out you have a corrupt Mayor dealing with demons. He's still human... so what was the plan, Buffy? Will you, the Slayer, go kill him?"

The girl fell silent but just as she attempted to reply I interrupted her, "Or would you let Giles do it? I _can _actually see him be ruthless enough to try if he stops fearing that part of himself which would enable it."

I saw the hit land and the incredibly slight wince he admirably suppressed.

"I would do whatever is necessary, Nicolas."

I nodded and said, "Up to and including killing a human being who's most putrid crime is... not killing demons?"

This time Liam interrupted me and said, "You know that is not the extent of things, Nick!"

I nodded again and said, "I do know that and I'm _certainly _not defending him. I also know that if we _do _take him as an enemy it will fall to _me_ to kill him. You would all prefer to keep your hands squeaky clean but I'm fairly certain... I wouldn't. Not if in the end it helps keep more people safe."

Buffy spoke up, "We can send him to prison! Or let the Council come and take him."

Liam winced at the girl's naiveté as did Giles. Robert simply laughed.

"The Council doesn't engage with entrenched factions, girly. The Mayor owns the local and county police... which doesn't even touch upon his extensive network throughout the state."

"Then what do we do? What does this have to do with not trusting me?"

"Because you won't kill him. Even now... when you and Giles believe he is the worst thing to happen to this town. You're not _willing _to kill him."

"That's not fair. I'm the Slayer and we don't kill people! We Slay... vampires and stuff."

I ignored that fairly meaningless drivel and turned towards Giles. I needed the man slightly unbalanced and pissed for the next portion of the negotiations.

"Do you have any other alternatives? A buddy perhaps who's really good at chaos magic?"

Giles facial expression darkened considerably when he replied, "We _will _not involve Ethan Rayne!"

"What does that leave on the table then? We have an enemy that none of you is willing to permanently put a stop to. One that is _too _powerful to fight directly. One that once he _does _end up dead... well... his death would make the current vampire explosion look like child's play."

Willow responded when neither Buffy nor Giles replied.

"How do you know that would happen?"

Robert laughed even louder and said, "Children. You're all children. Ripper... why do you persist in shielding your charges from the realities of this world? Do you read them bedtime stories as well when you tuck them in at night?"

Before Giles could reply I took over.

"When the Mayor dies the city will erupt into chaos. Demon's that were kept at bay through their fear of him... will shed their shackles. Vampires will come out of the woodworks and start munching on people in droves. Worse... than what's happening now. After that... well after the initial _boom _the demon's start turning on each other."

I fell silent for a heart or two before I continued, "You might think that's a good thing. It's not. Whoever comes out the winner will be _undisputedly _the new demonic overlord. Whoever it is... I can assure you... it won't someone who strives to keep death rates down. After this new... ruler... comes up. Well, we're all going to be faced with _organized _demons."

Andrew nodded towards me and finally spoke up, "Two days ago we fought close to forty vampires. They didn't do _nearly _as much damage as they could have... not even close to what the Master did with similar numbers. Nick is right when he says that an entire town led by someone, who unlike the Mayor, isn't apathetic enough to _not _unite all of them... will spell doom and gloom."

Robert faintly, but just loud enough, muttered, "They've come a long way, boy."

Giles replied, "What is _your _plan then, Nicolas?"

I was hoping he'd ask that.

"The Mayor is a lonely old man. If he wants to have tea with me once a week... is amenable to the favors I ask of him... and takes great care to ensure _his _favors don't hurt people who don't deserve it. What else would I do?"

And now the ball is in your court. Make the decision Giles... and I swear I will hold you to it.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	9. Chapter 9

*Chapter 081: June 27th, 1997-C*

Dead silence.

Finally Giles broke it when he sighed and replied, "What makes you think you can trust him?"

"Nothing. Again, bring me an alternative that doesn't send this town spiraling out of control."

Buffy interjected with, "So what? We're supposed to just _accept _that man? I can't do that, I _won't._"

Is the girl willfully blind?

Robert scoffed and said, "Inspiring words little Slayer. How will you back them up?

"I... I don't know but we will find a way."

The blond Slayer's reply sent Robert off into mad laughter.

"That is _just precious_. The little Slayer raised with the _can-do _spirit. You really have bought in to the cliché that there is supposedly _always _a less distasteful way haven't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I interrupted Robert's likely intensely cutting and demeaning reply, "Let's not start insulting each other, please. Buffy... I don't think you're seeing the situation for what it is."

The girl arched her eyebrow and said, "Oh?"

"You and I... we've been forcibly drafted into this war. A war most people are blithely unaware off ripped us from our pleasant childhood."

I sighed deeply and dramatically before continuing, "Giles isn't doing you a favor by trying to keep you innocent. Terrifying times are ahead and pretending we can beat _all _of the baddies _all _of the time is ludicrous. If that were true... Slayer's wouldn't universally die within a year or two of being called."

Buffy paled a little before Xander spoke up for the first time, "It sounds to me like you're finding excuses to not _do _anything, Nick."

Wow... you sanctimonious prick.

Jonathan replied scathingly, "Because he didn't just give clear and well thought out arguments that speak to the contrary? I don't know about the others but I'm not going to wait for the blood, fire and death to happen to teach you just how _bad _things can get."

"What do _you _know about it?"

"I know that pretty words and rousing speeches don't do _anything_ in real life. I used to think you and I were similar Xander. Two regular kids helping out their superhero best friend. Then reality hit me when my new friend got kidnapped right off the street. It came again we went down a dark dungeon to rescue him. It got firmly burned into me when after all that _he _was the one that came to get us... and suffered for it. Nick spent a week in the hospital and I have never been more scared. Then he disappeared again and the city... the city went mad. We're not similar Xander. Not anymore. You haven't changed at all."

I... really needed to have an in depth conversation with Johnny. Not that I didn't appreciate the sentiment, I truly did, but he was drowning and I couldn't let that happen.

Willow chimed in with a, "Hey! I don't think that's fair!"

Marcie replied, "Life isn't fair... are you just figuring that out now? I lost _everything_ and you're prattling on about _fair!_? This is stupid! Nick is right and you're all just piling on to him as if he's at fault!"

Giles cleared his throat and said, "I certainly don't want to give out that impression... and yes... the situation _is _dire. Nevertheless everything within me screams at the thought of seeing you all involved in this... My heart breaks for you, Nick, it truly does but I believe we need to take a step back and come up with a plan."

I nodded and replied, "I fully agree. In the meantime I'll do whatever I can to keep the Mayor... from being himself I guess. Let's just hope he keeps on liking me."

Liam interjected with, "That's what I'm worried about, Nick. I'm worried he'll continue liking you and slowly drag you to his level. I've met men like him before, I've _been _that man for longer than I'm comfortable with, and eventually they get you to compromise. They get you to allow small evils... that keep getting bigger and bigger. After a while... they simply _have _you and you're left wondering what happened."

I didn't respond and instead waved for him to continue.

"This isn't a slight against your character, Nick. You've... more than most a valid reason for your thinking. Just... be careful."

"I will, Liam. If there is another way... trust me I'll be on that like white on rice."

The sad little attempt at a joke diffused the tense atmosphere a little and I continued on.

"I know... quite a bit. My vision's and the way they work for me lend me a certain perspective. I've seen the best... and the worst of possibilities and I like _neither_. I'm not... "

I took a deep breath and went on to say, "What I'm trying to say is that I _have _to live in this world of grey tones or else I'll be crushed under the unrelenting black and white off it all. The world _isn't _split up into good and bad. The major force for good is only interested in maintaining the status quo. The major force for evil is actively stopping apocalypses left and right... "

Giles quirked his eyebrows and replied, "Could you elaborate?"

"The Powers That Be... claim to be on the side of good but never intervene when evil is afoot. Their opposites which I won't name here... have stomped out more evil than anyone else. They want the world destroyed on their timeline and out of sheer pride keep it going."

Not _exactly _true but if you squint...

"I see... and how do you know that the Power's aren't intervening with you?"

"They came to me in the form of their messenger boy, a demon called Whistler. He threw me around, threatened me for a bit, while he spent the time ranting about how insignificant humans are. After that... he offered me a job as their Champion."

Silence around the table.

Again, it wasn't precisely what happened but if anyone asked the half-breed point blank he wouldn't be able to deny it.

Robert chuckled a little and said, "That sounds like them alright. In all my years I've never seen them do anything but poke and prod. It's upsettingly obvious they want to co-opt you, boy."

Robert was playing along nicely!

"They're still demons. They might have bamboozled the world into thinking them divine but they are _demons_. One thing they don't and never will have is something every _person _is granted. A choice! I've made mine and now I need all of you to make yours."

I stood up, laid my hand on Robert, and whispered, "Thank you, and you to Liam, for taking care of everyone while I was gone."

And now to leave a last impression on good terms...

I waved off their muttered replies and walked over to Willow, cut a shallow incision on her arm, and drained her bruised and battered body dry of suffering. I repeated the process with Giles and headed out of the basement after grabbing Constantine... blanket and all.

All my people streamed out after me but Liam stayed firmly put. I hoped that was because it was still light out and not because he's sending me a message. Still... if I did actually lose him over this... I had Landokmar now as an attack dog.

Fred came up to me and whispered, "You're all high school students! I didn't even... I mean the way you acted... you shouldn't have to deal with this!"

I smiled a little brittle smile and replied, "In a perfect world, Freddikins, we wouldn't. I think we've both learned this isn't one."

The girl frowned and said, "It should be. Or at least... we should try to make it one."

I nodded, turned to Andrew, and asked him, "Hey mate, could you call a cab for us? Not everyone's going to fit into my car."

His startling reply showed something was going our way, "Johnny rented another truck... because you know... "

"Good, good. Let's go then."

Fred rounded up the three Pylean humans and our entire group left the premises. Once we were outside we split up into two groups. I sent Lib and Mica off with Johnny, Drew and Marcie. The rest of my not so little band anyone I took with me in my car. This time Landokmar took the front seat.

He finally made his presence known, "The yellow haired girl challenged your authority, my lord. Why did you allow that?"

I chuckled and replied, "She's the Slayer. Forcing her to do _anything _won't work. She's either with me voluntarily or... at least well disposed towards me enough to not interfere in my plans. That's the best I can hope for."

"I don't understand, my lord. You could kill her... "

"She's a human, Landokmar. I try not to kill those without good cause... "

Fred interjected with, "I doubt he grasps sarcasm, Nick."

Oh... that wasn't sarcasm but it did alert me to me something. Note to self; try to not freak out Fred too early.

"I see, my lord. You don't have a problem killing demons?"

"None at all, my dear Landokmar. Does that upset you?"

"I simply do not see the distinction, my lord."

That... was rather worrying.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 082: June 27th, 1997-D*

My recent influx of minions crowded my house. In lieu of extra rooms we were forced to institute a two per bedroom rule. On the way home from Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet we swung by the Mattress Warehouse to pick a few extra beds. Getting those to the house... proved challenging.

Eventually however we managed it, settled everyone into their respective bed stands, and kept Landokmar with me in my room.

"I would not mind enjoying the little death in the little building on the pasture behind your manor, my lord."

"That won't be necessary, Landokmar. I plan on keeping you close by."

"As you wish, my lord."

After we finished setting up all the beds we headed out for the living room just as the food we ordered arrived. I especially enjoyed the expression Kar made when she tasted her first slice of pizza. Lib couldn't get enough of it and begged for more. Mica... couldn't get over the fact someone _brought _us food.

"Alright. We need to discuss several important matters."

I waited until I was sure I had everyone's attention before I continued, "Lib and Mica. The two of you weren't exactly brought here voluntarily. I already promised you guys I'd send you back in a few weeks. However... while you are here... will you help us fight?"

Lib looked towards Mica, who clearly was the more dominant of the two, and waited for the smaller man to reply. He took his time but eventually responded.

"As long as you keep your word you'll train us with the weapons you mentioned... the two of us will be with you in every battle."

I nodded and replied, "Good, with that out the way. Kar, I know Fred already spoke to you, but what do you want to do with your life? You shouldn't feel compelled to contribute in our war if don't wish to do so."

Fred wrapped an arm around the girl and prompted her to speak up when nobody but me could hear her response.

"I-I don't know, sir. I'm sorry... "

"First off, dear, you don't have to call me sir. Or any other honorific really... you aren't a slave anymore. I understand this is still a major shock but take your time. Do however let me know when you make up your mind."

When the girl nodded in the affirmative I turned to Fred, "Fred. Can I count on you?"

The young scientist nodded so hard I was mildly concerned her head was about to fall off.

"I'm no good in a fight... but whatever you need."

I smiled widely and replied, "Well, Freddikins, I think we're going to need your prodigious intellect. Andrew can help acquaint you with our current armaments. Soon we'll have an excellent influx of cash so try to brainstorm anti-demon/anti-vampire weapons with him."

I turned to Landokmar and said, "Your situation is a little different. Is there any circumstance in which you could be accepted back into your clan?"

Lib grunted loudly showing his disproval but Mica silenced him fairly quickly by reminding him... of well... me.

"No, my lord. I am dead to my clan. The best I can do for them is to die or simply never show my face."

I nodded and replied, "Ok. I don't intend on keeping you as my slave forever. Do you believe you could carve out a life for yourself after a currently still unspecified term of service?"

This took a bit longer for Landokmar to process. Everyone around me held their breath until he spoke up again.

"I do not know, my lord. I... I spoke with Krevlornswath at length and he is willing to help me... adapt to this strange place. He wouldn't give me what I want though, my lord."

"Which is?"

"All I have ever been was a faithful son to my people. A warrior for their cause... Krevlornswath, or perhaps I should call him Lorne, cannot offer me a cause. If you dismiss me, my lord, I fear that I will wither and die like a vine cut off from its mother root. An... empty meaningless death."

As bad as that was for Landokmar... that sounded terribly convenient for me.

"I see. We will revisit that subject some time later. For now... try and think about it."

"Yes, my lord."

"For now though Landokmar... you will be tasked with training everyone here to be proficient at self defense. They don't have to become excellent warriors... but I'll settle for making everyone here marginally more difficult to hurt."

Jonathan and Andrew snorted but didn't bother replying. Marcie simply twirled her favorite dagger between her fingers and grinned madly.

"Yes, my lord."

"In the meanwhile, Fred, I believe you have the best grasp on the gaps in knowledge of our friends from Pylea. Could you help them get acquainted with the twenty first century?"

"Of course! I was already planning on doing that."

I flashed the girl a smile and said, "Good! Ok, that brings us to the current situation. Sunnydale has been overrun with vampires in exceedingly high numbers. Fortunately for us we have several matters going for us. We have active and mobile surveillance on the city, enough magic track the hotspots where the vampires congregate, and the ability to attack them in the daylight."

Landokmar nodded approvingly but didn't speak up.

Andrew however did, "Yes. I've also had my Imp running around destroying nests left and right. Every time he gets destroyed... he simply re-spawns. Jonathan worked hard on his control over his magic... and I believe he can cut swathes through the vampires as long as he has people to cover him."

Jonathan concurred with that, "Yeah, I need a tank to soak up aggro. Beyond that... we need better weapons. I think each of us should have a back-up incendiary shotgun at the least."

I replied, "That shouldn't be a problem. We can handle our money issues fairly easily. I had Willow research the major companies that benefit from a demon cult here in Sunnydale. If we hedge against them we can benefit monetarily from cutting up the demon leader."

Jonathan mildly chucked and said, "That's good but we got some mail in the box earlier this week. Our trust funds kicked in for me, you, Andrew, Marcie and Buffy's group. I erm... don't judge me when I say this... but I vote we use the income from their accounts as collateral to lend money against. If they can't deal with the Mayor rationally... they shouldn't benefit from him."

I raised my eyebrows and started laughing.

"Come on, buddy. I don't do judging. In any case... aren't they... you know..tied to them?"

"Nah, it says you have control over who they go to, so we should just direct them all to a communal account. They each have close a million and a half in each... but there is a limit in how much we can draw. There are also a handful of provisions that state we need to have the Mayor's signature and permission to draw more money when they run out."

"That... is brilliant."

Johnny continued, "We also need transport. Renting a truck won't cut it. If we buy one or two cheap ones we can mow down vampires at night without worrying about getting out of the trucks. I'm sure we can rig up a stake launcher, or even just use it as a platform for us to cast from, while a driver keeps us mobile."

"Ok, I agree. We'll procure two trucks. Anything else we need?"

"Yeah" Andrew said, "You implied you wanted another base? I've been looking around. There is a fairly small and self contained apartment complex on the outskirts of town. It's been for sale for a while... I think the owners kind of keep dying. I think we could outright buy it but maybe leasing it would be better."

"Oh yea, leasing is the way to go. I don't relish having to take the hit when it inevitably get's destroyed. In any case... how big is it?"

"It has five floors with six apartments each so we wouldn't need to expand any time soon."

"Excellent. Ok, with that out of the way. We need to make a plan to deal with the city and county coroner's offices... as well as each and every funeral home. They must be complicit in the way they explicitly _don't _trash the insides of every dead body that comes through their establishments. Maybe we can scare them into inserting mini stakes into the corpses."

That certainly met everyone's approval.

Andrew replied, "I hadn't even considered that... but if we _can _do that it would cut down enormously on new vamps. I doesn't help us deal with the current ones though."

"You're right. We have to deal with those the old fashioned way. We kill them, every day and night if need be, for as long as it takes. I missed the end of school but I'm kind of happy we don't have to spend six hours a day wasting away there."

Andrew and Jonathan looked at each other and simultaneously exclaimed, "Hear hear!"

"Ok. One last thing... Fred. If I bring you a robot... could you figure out how it works? Maybe even figure out how to make more once we get a decent lab going?"

Fred frowned a little before she replied "A robot? There are robots now?"

"Yea... considering this is Sunnydale... it's a murderous robot, of course."

The girl snorted a little and said," Of course it is. I will do my best but I can't make any promises. My specialty was more theoretical but with enough time and tools I don't see why not."

I dreamily responded, "Good! Good! I can already see legion's of robots patrolling the night for us."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 083: June 28th, 1997-A*

"Alright, Freddikins, we're at our one stop shop for pilfered tech."

The two of us had headed out to the now abandoned CRD Labs where Moloch had his thralls build him a robotic body. If we were lucky... all the equipment they used would still be there. Upon slaying him the spell over his minion's broke and I doubted any of them cared enough to go throw out the evidence of their misdoings.

I had acquired the services of a local moving company to help us with the pilfering. You'd be surprised what a bunch of underpaid movers are willing to look past for a few thousand in the pocket.

I kicked the door in, readied my Clementia just in case, and walked into the building. The air smelled musty enough for me be relatively certain no one came in after we had last rescued Willow.

The team of six followed us in but kept quiet. I guess despite the bribery they still didn't feel comfortable with what we were doing. Or perhaps they just knew what kind of shenanigans happen in Sunnydale and are busy bracing themselves for the worst.

When we reached the basement where most of the machinery was kept Fred squeaked with glee.

"Ah! The equipment is dated but this wonderful!"

The girl went on to explain just what everything was but I couldn't really follow it. The techno babble was more Andrew's thing.

"I'm just happy you think you can work with this."

"Well, it had nothing on my old workspace, but this isn't terrible."

What a ringing endorsement!

Regardless, it was free and we could build on it when we eventually have to. Fred pointed out the machinery she absolutely wanted to get her mitts on. The rest... we'll we'd get back to them later.

The movers were mildly surprised when I showed off my strength by casually picking up the items they claimed they needed specialized equipment to move. I could tell one of them was desperate to ask me about it but in the end... the Sunnydale syndrome won out.

"Bravo, come in."

I reached into my duster to fish out the walky talky, walked out of the room, and replied, "Salve Omega. How did it go?"

"Landokmar scared the college fratboys out of the house. Johnny gave them a show by throwing around their eating utensils... and then we killed the demon."

Ok then!

"Uhh, any details I should be made aware of?"

"Erm, dead cult demon smells like barbeque when you burn it to death?"

"Well... that's good to know."

"So is that enough for all those stocks to drop?"

"Yeah, I'm guessing by the time we make it home we'll have made a small fortune."

"Alright, Omega over."

"Bravo over."

I headed back into the basement to help speed up our larceny. Fred was obviously channeling her inner dictator when she berated the mover for daring to accidentally dropping a piece of tech that was apparent incredibly fragile.

All in all it was an incredibly amusing few hours. It was around one in the afternoon when we were done and started offloading the tech into my garage and garden shed. The few pieces of equipment we absolutely had to have fit in there but we were forced to leave the majority behind. The moment the ink on the lease we were going to sign the next day cleared we'd move _everything _over there.

"So... kids, why did you need all this stuff?"

The head honcho of the movers spoke casually but there was a hint of malice in his voice.

I replied, "Science project."

"Huh. I don't rightly recall having to scrounge high grade equipment for any of my high school projects."

"I'll bet."

The balding middle aged man stepped up to me and hissed out, "Are you mocking me, kid?"

Great.

So why was he suddenly acting like this? I paid the man handsomely for his services... is this just him trying to get me to cough up a little more?

"Not at all. Are we done now?"

The balding prick got an infuriating grin on his face when he replied, "Nah. In fact... I don't think so. You see, kid, now we know where you live. We _also _know you're up to no good."

I sighed and replied, "I'm sure you believe you're making a point."

The man's grin didn't slip for a moment, clearly that went over his head, and he continued.

"You're going to cough up double, kid. I don't care if it wipes out your allowance savings from Mommy and Daddy. From the looks of your mansion it wouldn't even dent them."

"Hmm. Let me think about that."

I fell quiet as I simply stared at the man, my facial expression as neutral as possible, and waited for him to break the silence.

"Well? Stop stalling and cough up, kid. It's not like you'll be going to the police."

I scoffed and replied, "Tell me, baldy, are you retarded?"

The middle aged mover flushed and made a grab for me. I let the man grab on to my shirt and waited to see what he would do. The other movers all watched with anticipation and Fred looked like she was ready to start tearing into them.

"You best take that back, kid, or things ain't gonna stay all pleasant-like."

I let a grin of my own form and said as evenly as I could, "Did you know you only need four hundred pounds of force to snap someone's arm clean out of their sockets?

I had no idea whether that was true or not. I just thought it sounded badass.

Before he could reply I continued, "Since I doubt thoughts stay between your ears for longer than a minute I'll refresh your memory. That massive toy over there is well over eight hundred pounds and I picked it up without breaking a sweat."

I could see doubt enter the man's eyes but fortunately for me... his type usually doubles down then. I was going to enjoy this. I lightly jerked my bracelet and flashed a _Fortress _into existence.

The baldy picked me up and inch or two off the ground with one arm, he was still a fairly strong man who spends his days moving heavy objects, and cocked his other arm far back. I saw the fist coming in fast and I let my grin grow into a full smile.

"Ahh!"

The man dropped me out of shock and grabbed for his hand.

"You were saying something?"

I cast another _Fortress_ and was incredibly amused by the man's second swing to my face. Is it just a case of him being unwilling to back off from a kid or did he attribute the previous failure up to chance?

This time his little pained cry choked up in his throat. I picked the man up and I didn't float him an inch over the ground. I launched the man up as high as I could and stared his team down with a grin.

When half a second or so later he came crashing to ground I didn't bother catching him. The snapping of bone when he landed awkwardly on his leg was enough to make his men wince. I dropped down next to him, fished out the envelope with _my _money, and stood back up.

"Pick him up, boys. Or things might not stay all pleasant-like."

The movers quickly dragged the head honcho off but I kept my eyes on them until they all streamed into their hauling truck.

Fred said in a quiet voice, "That was pretty stupid of them."

"Yeah... "

"That was also pretty harsh of you."

"I know... sometimes fools like that just _get _under my skin."

The girl nodded and walked into the house. Maybe I should recalibrate how violent I am in front of her.

**XxXXxX**

**June 28th, 1997**

"Are you sure this is the right house, Andrew?"

"Positive. You identified the guy on the screen remember?"

Andrew and I had spent the afternoon going over every single Ted Buchanan we could find in the phone book. I was rather unpleasantly surprised when there turned out be more than a dozen of them sprawled out across the city and neighboring towns. When we found the one Ted who born pre nineteen thirty I guessed that might have been him.

Andrew had sent his Imp to go hunt the man down so we could get a visual on him. When the creature got close enough to set up a camera nearby we settled in to wait for the man to come home. An hour or so later he did and the John Ritter lookalike confirmed it was him.

Now we were parked across the street in Johnny's truck getting ready to do our think.

"Alright. Get ready to race off if I can't easily subdue him."

"Okies, bossman."

I halfhearted glared at the boy and said, "Don't call me that, Drew."

I raced up the door and rang the bell a couple of times. A few seconds later the John Ritter clone opened the door with a massive smile on his face.

"Good afternoon, young man, what can I do for you?"

I took a deep whiff and when I didn't smell anything organic coming from him I pushed past him.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

When I reached his living room I could smell the faint stench of rotting corpses emanating from the basement. Ted had closed the front door and came rushing in after me.

"Answer me, boy!"

I turned towards him and calmly said, "How did you do it?"

The robot suspiciously replied, "What are you talking about? Why are you here?"

"To make a robot like you... in the early fifties... well that's just an incredible accomplishment."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 084: June 28th, 1997-B*

"I don't know what you're talking about young man. I'd like for you to leave my house, now!"

"Hmm... Nah."

I calmly turned around and started looking through the cabinets, confident the robot wasn't faster than I was, and waited for his response. I didn't have to wait long when I felt him close in on me. I ducked under his grasping arm, swiped his leg, and saw him fall to the ground. He got up nearly instantaneously, grabbed on to my ankle on the way up, and threw me against the ceiling.

I flew through it, managed to catch on to the crossbeam in the attic, and let go after I applied a _Fortress_. When I fell to the ground I landed just behind the robot, dodged his swing, and drop kicked him. He didn't fall back far but when he dashed back to me I landed a better aim kick in its 'guts'.

I kicked the robot across the room and heard him impact with the wall, leaving a massive indentation, but he recovered before he even hit the ground.

"You're strong, robot-man. I like that."

The humanoid creation charged at me but I could easily side step his telegraphed swing.

"You're not very fast though... I do hope we can fix that."

Still the artificial man stayed quiet and kept approaching me. This time he circled around me trying to find an opening.

"But you _can _learn... and quickly too. This is _wonderful_."

I pretended to trip over my feet, wobbled a little, and saw the robot rush the perceived opening. The first punch connected but was easily absorbed by a _Fortress_. The second however went incredibly wide as I simply ducked under it and twisted out of the way.

"Easily tricked though... "

Ted stood up straight and froze for a moment. After a heartbeat or two he grabbed for his desk and threw it at me. I caught deflected it with a well aimed kick and settled in to see what robot would do next. There was a greater than average chance I would be forced to break it to subdue it. Before that happened I wanted to know what it's abilities were.

Seeing his current tactics weren't delivering he broke the coffee table, picked off two of its legs, and started dual wielding them while he slowly approached me. His swings moved fluidly and fairly expertly despite their unwieldy shape.

I let the creature close in and parried one his sticks with my Clementia. The other impacted impotently on my _Fortress _reinforced upper arm. I darted out of range, ducked under his retaliatory kick, and darted back in to cut through one of the sticks. Immediately after that I attempted to repeat the same maneuver but the robot anticipated me.

I smiled as he grabbed for my arm and threw me over his head at the wall. I harmlessly impacted with the wall and got on my feet before he reached me. I push off against the wall, rolled over the ground, and swiped out his legs from under him.

"You really _do _learn fast. This is fairly promising. What else can you do robot-man?"

The creature got off the floor and simply stared at me. This time he slowly walked over and came to a standstill just out of apparent reach.

"What do you want?"

"You. Or..well, more specifically; I want to know how you were built. Beyond that... I'm perfectly willing to let you be."

The artificial humanoid nodded and replied, "The original Ted made me, yes. How did you know he did so in the fifties young man?"

I made a show of looking around the now trashed living room. The décor could have come straight from I Love Lucy. I smiled and said, "I have super powers. One of them is common sense."

The creature returned my smile and said, "Since you seem willing to be... civilized. Would you care for something to drink? Or are you perhaps hungry, I know boys your age are always hungry, come on."

He made a move for the kitchen but I firmly stayed put.

"Sorry, Ted, I don't mean to be rude but... I don't accept food or drink from strangers. Not in this town. You never know what a sufficiently malicious person... might tamper with."

The robot turned, never let his smile falter, and replied, "Oh, that's alright. I don't get offended easily!"

Sure... you were about to drug me into compliance. That being said though... now I really wanted that drug as well...

"Good! So... you were explaining?"

The robot walked over to a couch, wiped the debris from it, and sat down.

"Please, make yourself comfortable."

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms across my chest. All while smiling as widely as I could.

"Please continue, Ted."

"My maker was dying from a heart condition. At the same time his wife left him, the traitorous whore ran when 'for better' turned to 'or worse', and he faced the prospect of dying alone. He made me so there was at least a piece of him left alive."

I found that fairly pathetic; that has to be the lowest run of 'immortality' ever. It ranked _just _above having children in my book.

I nodded sagely and replied, "I see. I sympathize with the circumstances. Please, go on."

"There is a journal written in my makers hand in basement. I could go get it?"

Wow.

While that _did _sound absolutely wonderful and would really, really, cut down on the time Fred would have to spend trying to understand it... the ploy was obvious and transparent. I guessed this was the point where I objected to it and told him I'd go down stairs.

"Alright."

The robot-man got up, walked past me, and headed down to the basement. I kept an ear out of him, jerked a _Fortress _into existence, and waited to see if he'd come back out with a shotgun. I was pleasantly surprised when he _actually _came out with a little book.

When the artificial humanoid looked at me he must have seen my confusion.

"Ah, you didn't believe me. Don't worry about it, young man. My own reaction... wasn't exactly trust engendering."

I should have just nodded and smiled prettily. Of course, me being me, I couldn't leave well enough alone.

"That and the handful of corpses I can smell didn't help either."

"And am I to believe you don't care about that?"

"Sure. I knew the moment I walked through the door... and we're having a fairly pleasant conversation, aren't we?"

"I do suppose that is true."

He walked over to me and simply handed me the book. When he strode over to his couch and sat down I started browsing through the booklet. It was written in diary form and detailed his earliest failures. The entries ended just after he happened to complete the robot. As if his body gave out knowing he accomplished his goals.

"This seems fairly comprehensive. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Ok. Now, how about that drug you use to make people complacent? That strikes me as a fairly useful thing to have."

Did I go too far?

The robot dropped all pretenses and showcased its cunning. It turned out he did grab a gun from the basement but waited for me to drop my guard. I saw him reach for it, aim, and hit the area where I had been standing a heartbeat before.

I kept darting around the room, recasting my _Fortress _after the single instance where he managed to hit me, and when I counted eight shots I jumped up through the hole I'd made earlier. I held on to the crossbeam again, watched as the robot looked up at me, and threw myself to the side. I landed on my feet, checked up on Andrew through the window, and jumped back down when I didn't see the robot.

Just as I landed I felt him tackle me, I rolled with the momentum, and grabbed him with one arm around his head. I pulled _up _as hard as I could and snapped it off cleanly. I put my feet on the back of the beheaded robot, kept his head firmly in my grasp, and stashed the diary in my jacket. I reached inside the duster for the walky talky and signaled Drew.

"Salve Omega, you can come in now."

Why the boy insisted on these stupid codenames I didn't know... but it didn't cost me anything and it made him happy. So be it.

"Ola Bravo, coming in."

Andrew, Lib and Jonathan came streaming into the trashed living room moments later.

"Drew and Lib; go search in the kitchen for questionable substances that may be uhh... mind controlly?"

When they hopped off to the kitchen I turned to Johnny and was pleased when he already got the chains out. Together we secured the robot, double checked everything, and then whatever ropes we had left to secure him some more.

Well, time to take him home and figure out what makes him tick.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 085: June 28th, 1997-C*

"Are you certain he's been secured properly, Andrew? The robot is a fair bit stronger than I am."

"Yup! Trust me; he won't be so much as able to twitch!"

"Alright. How many funeral directors have you managed to gather up?"

"Uhh, only about six so far; they all believe we're acquiring their services. They will all show up in about half an hour in the abandoned manor down the road. Are we going to repeat this with the coroners tomorrow?"

"Indeed, Marcie, Landokmar and I will make a visit to Willy's. We should be back soon."

The three of streamed into my car and we sped off to the seedy little bar. In the past week the town's vampire populace had gone rather insane and I needed to make a decent showing today. The goal wasn't exactly shock and awe anymore but a simply statement of power.

"Landokmar; you will head in first and announce me. Marcie; you stay invisible and stake the first vampire who denies me. I'll let you know who I mean by staring at them. Keep staking them until one of them says yes. Be my boogie-women for me, dear."

"Ok! No problemo!"

"Understood, my lord. How do you wish me to present you?"

"Let's keep things simple. Our lord, Nicolas will do."

"Very well, my lord."

A few minutes later I parked my car a block or two off from the bar and we all got out of it. We walked over to the bar as calm as can be and I was _positively _giddy. I had one of the slave collars with me, as a little insurance for what I was planning. When we arrived at the grimy demon infested watering hole Landokmar barged into it and bombastically introduced me.

"Our magical lord, Nicolas, desires your attention."

Marcie had disappeared from my senses a block before but I trusted she'd be where I needed her. I walked in after Landokmar with a massive grin on my face. The demon's feel quiet the moment I walked through the door and faint whiff's of fear smelled intoxicating. I calmly looked around for a sign of obvious discontent but their silence was uniform.

I pulled my Primal to fore and lightly growled out, "**I require the services of a vampire who doesn't mind feeding on trapped prey for an hour. I would prefer volunteers but... let's not pretend I won't **_**take **_**one of you.**"

Dead silence.

I gave it a few more seconds before I settled my gaze on the nearest vamp and pinned her with a glare.

"Uhh, me? I, uhh, I can't... you see... I have-."

Marcie cut off the skinny corpse with a presumably well aimed stake to the heart. I let me smile grow a little wider and shifted my gaze to the next closest vampire. I briefly let my mind wander about how this must look to them.

I had_ glared _a vampire to death.

When I locked eyes with the next vampire I saw his widen and he attempted to run away. Marcie, wonderful girl that she is, clearly anticipated something like this because she tripped him. When the blood demon lay sprawling over the ground with a fairly confused look on his face he suddenly exploded into dust.

Andrew was right; vampires _don't _learn quickly.

I slowly turned to a vampire sitting on a bar stood and realized that maybe they weren't all functionally retarded. The vampire froze for a moment, then raised his hands in surrender, and slowly stood up.

"May I inquire what... you exactly want?"

"**You'll find out in a moment. You have my word it won't take long. Now, kneel before me.**"

The vampire frowned, slowly inched over, but when he came nearby I saw his body language change to aggression instead of the supplication from before. I smiled as I jerked my bracelet and burned a hole through its throat. The dusty remains wafted in my face and I had to actively suppress a sneeze or two.

I lightly chuckled and said, "**Vampires... no sense of self preservation... "**

I slowly turned again to another vampire, confident my latest outburst had cowed the demonic audience again, and gave it a second or two for Marcie to get into position. We were running low on vamps and I hoped I wouldn't be forced to go through _all _of them. Not that I was worried it would come to that... I had no doubt I could take the entire bar if need be.

This time the vampire simply kneeled immediately and exclaimed, "Not me, not at all! We're not all stupid, ahhh, my lord?"

I snapped my fingers and pointed to the ground right in front of me. The vampire got up, desperation wafted out of every pore, and I was fairly certain this one wouldn't be a problem. She knelt in front of me and looked up with an expression filled with dread.

I reached into my duster, saw the vampires wince, and let another smile ground as I took out the collar. I jumped towards her, grabbed the demon by its hair, and locked collar into place. She must have been extra cowed because she didn't even speak up after I did that.

I could sense the confusion slowly overtaking the terror I inspired in the local demon populace and decided to cut that off.

"**I require Clem to come find me tomorrow. Forward the message, Willy.**"

I pulled out the little control device, which Fred had finally managed to remove from Lib and Mica, and wondered if I should try it out. The genius Texan had also managed to fairly significantly increase the surge of electricity it produced and I was left wondering if it would have much impact on the vampire.

If a tazer could knock out Angel, a two centuries old master vampire, I was reasonably certain a random no-name wouldn't be able to just shake it off. After careful considering I decided I wanted to see her twitch.

I turned the little knob on it _just so_ and watched as the vampire reached for its neck and started trashing about. I let the effect linger for a few moments before turning it back off.

"**Little vampire. That collar will explode your head off if you meddle with it. If you wish to make it through the night you... best not.**"

The little blood demon nodded and I gestured for it get back on its feet.

Just then Willy finally spoke up, "H-have you heard about that crazy bitch Drusilla? You're going to put a stop to her right? She's been _terrible _for business."

I stared the bartender and waited a few heartbeats before answering, "**She **_**is **_**indeed the missing piece of The Scourge of Europe that isn't working for me... nor have their trophies hanging around my neck."**

I turned, trusting Landokmar would watch my back, and walked out the bar. The Pylean did his part by grabbing the vampire and dragging her to her out with him. Once we got outside the vampire seemed to regain a modicum of its balance and asked me a question.

"Uhh, my lord, is it true? Are you really carrying their _fangs_?"

That last bit came out a little incredulous and instead of responding I simply reached for my necklace. I shook it around in front of her face for a moment a savored her baffled expression.

"How... ?"

"**How else, little vampire, I ripped them out of their mouths before killing them.**"

That shut up the vampire for a bit. We reached my car a minute or two later and Landokmar forced the vampires into the back next to him. He held a stake at the ready and I still had the control device firmly in my grip.

Once we were on the vampire proved it couldn't keep quiet.

"Uhh, my lord? What about the _other _rumors?"

I didn't bother replying and simply waited for the demon to elaborate or drop the subject. It just wouldn't do to show how little I know about the rumors flying around town.

"Y-you don't _have _to answer of course... not that I could ... or would! I r-really wouldn't... I'm not like Brad... Brad was stupid... and deserved to die? Uhh... "

It took all the control I had to not explode into a giggling fit. The vampire was... wonderfully unbalanced.

A few seconds later it continued in a quiet voice, "I-I mean... did you really go to Hell_ voluntarily_?"

How the fuck did they find out about that? I didn't reply and instead flashed a _Flash Bang _around. The vampire got the message and shut up immediately.

When we arrived at the abandoned manor, really... there must five times as many homes in Sunnydale as there are people, we got out of the car and got into the house. The funeral directors hadn't arrived yet so I directed the vampire to sit down.

Landokmar put on the cowl we had found for him to obscure his demonic appearance and the four of us waiting in the dark for the funeral directors to show up.

Whether things would get bloody or not... depended on their responses.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 086: June 28th, 1997-D*

"**Little vampire. Do I need to tell you what will happen if you try to run... or eat something I don't give you express permission for?**"

"N-no! I'll be good! Yessirri! No death wish in sight for me! Or you know... in as much as that applies to me... being dead and all... "

Her blabbering aside... I believed her. She still exhibited all the classic signs of fear.

I simply nodded and said, "**Good. You might live through the night then.**"

She wouldn't. She really wouldn't... not unless things went massively wrong. I could already hear a few cars pulling up to the driveway. Their punctuality was wonderful. It meant I wouldn't have to keep repeating myself as they arrived piecemeal.

A minute or two later and they rang the bell. Marcie went to go open the door and then I hoped she drifted back to the vampire. Just in case.

Six of the funeral directors had arrived at the same time, with matching expressions of confusions and consternation written all over their faces, and I directed them to the plastic chairs we set out for them.

"**Greetings. Sit."**

One of the older men, and they were all men, tried to inch back but I used my telekinesis to forcible close the door behind them. Considering these men didn't have nearly the same amount of backbone the average demon had... this was enough to cow them into submission.

The greybeard who tried to escape took the lead when he said, "What is going on here?"

I chuckled a bit and replied, "**You all... are here on my invitation. You see... I wish to ascertain whether or not you're complicit in murder on a truly staggering scale.**"

"What! How dare you insinuate that! We're all upstanding business-."

"**Little vampire; show them your game-face.**"

The vampire lady obeyed, called up her demonic visage, and that was enough to send the six men's fear responses through the roof. I ran up to them, put my hands the shoulders on the one who spoke up, and leaned in close.

"**Have you seen a vampire before?"**

"N-no?"

"**You see... I'm not convinced. Your heart **_**is **_**racing... but not simply out of fear... is it Mr. Fletcher**?"

"I-I d-don't know w-what-."

"**I can positively **_**taste **_**your lies."**

I couldn't... not really... but when has a little showboating _not _helped?

"P-please... I really don't know what's going on!"

**"You're a funeral director... in Sunnydale. You have been for at least the past two decades. Are you trying to convince me... you've never **_**actually **_**met a vampire?"**

**"**No! No I haven't... I swear!"

The other men were silent as can be. Perhaps they were frozen in fear or shock... it didn't matter.

"**You see, Mr. Fletcher, I know about the embalming process corpses **_**have **_**to go through. This process **_**destroys **_**the insides of a corpse... but considering the number of vampires around..."**

"I-I... "

"**I think you know where I'm going with this don't you?**"

"No! No please!"

The man tried to shrug me off but my iron grip held him tight. One of the others attempted to race off but I simply told the vampire to go eat him. She was on him in an instant and drained the man right in front of us. His empty corpse hit the ground with a thud.

"**All of you. **_**All **_**of you... are complicit in the creation of these **_**things**_**. You have my word gentlemen... that I **_**will**_** come to your homes. I **_**will**_** drag you out of them. I will **_**give **_**you to **_**them**_**."**

"P-please p-please... I'm sorry... I-I h-have a family!"

"**Let's not pretend I care.**"

One of remaining men to my left spoke up, "I-I'll give you whatever you want! Please... just please!"

"**Can you guess at what I want?**"

"Yes! We'll stop! I swear I'll stop! No money is worth... "

Well well well.

Isn't he just a fountain of information?

"**I'm sure you'll understand me when I say... continue what you were saying. Now!"**

I let the man I gripping on to go, walked over the baldy that just spoke up, and picked him up out of his chair.

"I can't! Please... they'll kill me!"

"**They... will simply kill you. I on the other hand might be tempted to have a vampire turn your children. After which I'll sit back and watch the show as your child turns on **_**you**_**."**

Ohh... I thought that came out nicely.

"No... "

I briefly considered simply shaking an answer out of the man but came to conclusion that de-escalating wouldn't serve any purpose. I couldn't scare the man _more_. Instead I just smiled a demented grin and waited.

"T-there are a group of men... just like you and I... they pay me. T-they... pay all of us!"

The first man choked out a strangled noise to which I replied by slapping him in the face bit a concentrated bout of telekinesis.

"**Continue."**

"They only came by a few times... in the beginning... but that was enough. Please... they don't mess around. No wait! I... they live here in Sunnydale. I can give you their addresses!"

"**That's not **_**all **_**you have for me is it? That would be... disappointing.**"

If what he said was true I already had what I needed. Now I simply wanted to squeeze every last drop out of him.

"They used to work for someone they called The Master. They were his 'potential's'. Please, that's all I know, I swear!"

I dropped the man and watched him ungracefully tumble to ground.

I looked up at the vampire for a few seconds, waited for Marcie to get the hint, and clicked off her collar. The moment it fell from her neck the vampire exploded into ashes.

Good girl.

"**I expect you all to spread the word to the other **_**corpse handler's**_**. I will deal with these pathetic Renfields. Get out... and remember... if so much as a single vampire rises. I'll get more inventive with every one of you I take down.**"

The chorus of ascent lasted until I growled at them write down the addresses and to fuck off again. Once they were gone I hijacked Marcie's spell and activated her glamour.

I didn't get a chance to take a pulse on how the girl felt about this because she herself spoke up.

"What a bunch of bastards! What happens if we just kill them all?"

I smiled widely and said, "We'd have to teach the next batch _another _lesson."

I should have known, my little would-be assassin doesn't suffer from an excess of morals, she's pissed enough at the world to not give a crap.

Landokmar replied, "Indeed. That would be a waste of time, my lord. Do you wish for me to get rid of the remains?"

"Nah. Just drag it out under the stairs. It won't turn in to a vampire and I don't particularly care about him. Marcie, if you could collect the collar, please."

"Okiedokie, bossman!"

I sighed and replied, "Marcie... is Andrew putting you up to this?"

The girl grinned madly and said, "Maaaaybe."

**XxXXxX**

**June 28th, 1997**

The three of us headed out back to my house. The moment we stepped through the door Andrew immediately assaulted me.

"How did it go?"

Marcie spoke up, "We got to pop one! The rest were shaking like little leaves but they did give us information."

The boy frowned a little but this time I took over, "The Master is apparently the one who was involved with subverting the coroners and the undertakers. Now he's dead... there are still some of his Renfields around. A bunch of bastards who are apparently waiting around to be turned... "

"Oh... damn."

"Yup. So we need a plan on how to deal with... find out where they get the money to bribe all of these people with and put a stop to it. I don't mind breaking a few heads here and there but the undertakers made it sound as if there was a fairly large group."

Marcie piped up with, "I don't mind. Send me!"

I raced over the girl, tickled here a bit, and pulled her in close.

"I'm not comfortable sending you out alone, Marcie. None of us goes anywhere solo. We're a team remember?"

She was still giggling a little when she responded, "Ok! Ok! I got it. Bossman."

"I see that's been catching on."

I half heartedly glared at Andrew and poked him on the nose with a bout of telekinesis. He pretended some outrage and slapped me right back. Unfortunately for me... his TK is a _lot _more powerful and my nose promptly snapped.

Immediately I went for a _Bank Safe_, drained the damage away, and waved Andrew's frantic squeaks down.

"Damn it, Andrew, this is my favorite shirt. You know you're going to be washing it right?"

"Uhh, no problem!"

"By hand!"

"Ok, bossman!"

Bastards. The lot of them.

Bastards.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 087: June 29th, 1997*

Robert and I were accompanied by the realtor who held the keys to what was hopefully my new base of operations. The apartment complex was situated on the edge of Sunnydale, had a decent amount of land around it, and stood five stories tall. Each floor had six separate apartments except the ground floor which was lined with offices. These offices all shared a fairly massive common area which I could already envision turning into a lounge.

I had long since check out of the conversation and trusted Robert would ask all the pertinent questions. In my mind's eye I was already busy fortifying the complex. The land around the building would be littered with sprinklers connected to a reservoir which would be blessed every week.

I was unsure whether a wall would _actually _make the complex more heavily but I knew it couldn't hurt. The windows would certainly acquire some sort of barrier and well... if it started looking like a jail... fuck whoever complains. Oh... I had _so _many things planned for this diamond in the rough.

I started paying attention again when an hour later Robert had settled the contract with the realtor. We were now the proud, sort of, owners of my first base. I didn't think the Warlock negotiated as fiercely as he could when I found out what we had to pay each quarter but in the greater scheme of things it didn't matter.

"What now, boy?"

"A whole bunch of things; Andrew is overseeing everyone packing things up at my house, I'm going to call around various home improvement agencies and you... go do whatever it is you do when I don't see you."

I could tell that didn't amuse the warlock as much as it did me, but he thankfully let it go, a minute or so later though he spoke up again.

Robert's face took on an inscrutable expression when he suddenly replied, "So... the Mayor is an old lonely man who needs company?"

The non sequitur threw me for a loop until I caught on the faintest whiffs of anger and insecurity wafting off the warlock.

I slowly answered the man, "You know... that that's not how I see you right?"

The warlock was silent for a long moment before he simply relied, "Oh?"

I slowly turned away from him while talking over my shoulder, "Yeah, you're one of **my **peopleold man. Let's not kid ourselves; I'm not putting up with you... you're putting up with me."

I made a speedy and decidedly _not _cowardly exit after that.

**XxXXxX**

**June 30th, 1997**

"This is... nice?"

I sighed and replied, "Liam, you don't have to be nice about it, it's a dump. It's a dump with _potential _though."

The vampire clearly didn't share my enthusiasm for the place.

"Why am I here again, Nick?"

"I need your scary vamp face to intimidate the contractor. Just put on your game-face when I ask for it and afterwards leave the room."

I inspected the office supplies left behind by the previous owners for anything potentially useful when I noticed Liam had stopped following me.

"What's wrong?"

The vampire sighed and replied, "You want me... to scare a contractor? Why?"

Oh great.

Liam was suffering from one of his noble fits again.

I pinned him with a stare, "He might start asking annoying questions like; why do you need this place fortified you obviously underage child."

"And you think the way to fix that is to scare him?"

"Yes. It'll be fine, Liam."

At that moment the two of us turned to the direction of the gates. We had clearly both heard the car pulling up. A little over a minute later and the contractor walked in together with his aid.

"Good morning! You must be Nicolas? I'm Eric Freeman."

I smiled widely, shook the man's extended hand, and relied, "Pleasure to meet you and, yes, that would be me. You've spoken on the phone with my father?"

"I have indeed, young man. I must say... you're father puts a lot of trust in you."

And it was starting.

"He does indeed. Would you like to get started right away?"

"Fair enough; lead on and we'll discuss the proposed... alterations."

Before we so much as left the office I turned back to the man and spoke up, "You say that like you have reservations Mr. Freeman?"

The man held up both hands if in surrender and replied, "Oh no! It's simply that such... well I do believe the word is _fortifications _don't tend to come up a lot."

"We're very worried about security and I trust my father informed you that no expense would be spared?"

"He has, Nicolas, and my firm has plenty experience in the field of home protection. This goes a fair bit further but I think we can handle it. There are still a few points I'm unclear about though. For instance... the raised cross shapes across surface of areas. You don't strike me... nevermind. What I mean is that it's all very unusual."

I turned to Liam with an 'I told you so smug' expression plastered to my face and gestured for him to vamp out.

"Mr. Freeman." I pointed to Angel, "That's a vampire. My family wants this building to become vampire proof."

The contractor was mid-scoff when Angel finally slipped into his demonic visage. He froze and I gave him a few seconds to recover.

"Thank you, Liam. I've got it from here."

The vampire wandered off to the sewer entrance and presumably slithered back off to Buffy.

I turned to the contractor and waited for him to start speaking.

"T-that... t-that... how did you do that?"

"How about... we pretend that never happened? I would however appreciate fewer questions about my _specific _security needs. I hope you understand."

**XxXXxX**

**June 30th, 1997**

Once we were through going over the considerable amount of alterations necessary for my complex we parted ways. The contractor went off to go recollect his sanity while I was headed to Uncle Bob's Magical Cabinet.

In the recent few weeks I had been neglecting my magical studies. My improved psychical abilities were lovely, and I suspected I may have gotten slightly stronger and faster from all the killing, but my main strengths came from magic.

Ripper's words still resonated with me though. I wasn't so much interested in _more _magic but in the better application of what I had access to now. One of the main issues I wanted to tackle was training up the ability to use two spells at the same.

I practically salivated at the thought of being able to spam _Flash Bang _while I had a _Bank Safe _rolling.

Unfortunately when I posited the question to Robert he started laughing for a while. He kept that up for quite a long while.

"Boy, that _is _precious. I mean... technically it's possible of course... "

The man trailed off before continuing, "Imagine this. You're a right handed boy. You're trying to teach yourself to write with your left hand as the first step. After this you attempt to write with both hands at the same time... on the same piece of paper. Once you finally grasp that... you need to re-learn doing it while a vampire is charging you."

Well, _fuck_.

"Good luck with that, Nicolas. Why don't you just crack your Flesh Magics book open? The Ripper doesn't know what he's talking about... or you just haven't understood him."

"Fine."

I took a copy of the book from Robert's secret stash and started going through it all _again. _The niggling thoughts that I _hadn't _devoted enough time to magic suddenly erupted into a moment of utter _clarity._

I hadn't worked on any new spells ever since... I invited in the Primal.

_Fuck._

_Fuck._

_I thought I had things __**under**__**control!**_

Bitter disappointment flooded through me. All those excuses I kept telling myself didn't hold much water anymore. So... I've been busy, acquiring power and enemies, but none of that should have _ever _stopped me from experimenting with magic.

Despite my current clarity I could still_ feel _it. The pull of the physical... the _need _to get up close to an enemy and butcher it...

The fact that I was still _able _to use magic while in that mindset clouded my judgment and blinded me to the reality of my circumstance. I had allowed myself to magically stagnate. I needed to figure out a way to combat this in the future... I couldn't afford letting myself forget again.

It's been a month since I worked on a spell as powerful as _Heat Death_ and that only took me two days to finish. How much farther could I have been if I didn't _waste _a whole goddamned month?

Why did I give so much _weight _to Giles's words and why were the only times I mentally referred to him as the Ripper when I was considering his speech on magic...

I got up and ran to my mentor.

"Robert... we have to talk."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 088: June 30th, 1997-A*

"Robert... we have to talk."

The warlock put down the tome he was engrossed in and motioned for me to follow him into his office. Once we got there I unleashed my worries and suspicions on the man. The Primal was a concern but when I thought back on things... I _had_ gone on to consult Robert and worked on the anti mind control magic.

Upsettingly enough... all I may have been doing was reinforcing an already comprised mind...

All of that stopped once I started on Giles's exercises.

Briefly unformed and flitting thoughts _connected_.

"I think Giles might have done something to me... "

I was still mildly in shock at the startling realization. My mind was swirling in every direction at once and rage, oh so incredible rage, started bubbling up deep inside me.

Before I could fully lose myself in it Robert snapped me out of it.

"Focus, Nicolas, take a deep breath and _focus. _Tell me everything."

I tried to calm down as much as I could under the circumstances and rattled off my concerns. Robert patiently sat through my disjointed babbling and only asked for clarification once.

"Are you _sure _you feel a distinction between Ripper-Giles and regular Giles?"

Yes, fuck yes!

"Yes! I do... its greasy... slippery but yes. I _know _there is _something _there... "

The sheer insult of being so terribly damaged by the man...

I never would have known, I'm sure of that, if I hadn't gotten that mental upgrade a week ago. I was losing my struggle against the rage deep within me and simply let it all flood me.

"**HE BOUND ME! HE FUCKING BOUND ME!"**

I vaguely noted Robert tracing out intricate patterns with his hands but couldn't precisely focus on it.

"**THAT UTTER PIECE OF SHIT!"**

I didn't know how long I was lost in my private madness. Robert had constructed a force field to keep me contained during my rages. My tantrum had me railing against the magical construct. I swung madly at it with my fists, kept screaming at the top of lungs, and just couldn't find it within me to care.

"**I'M GOING TO DESTROY HIM! LET ME OUT. LET ME OUT!"**

I was intermittently aware of the damage I was causing myself but none of it mattered.

I _trusted _the man. I let him _fucking _console me.

He _bound _me.

I was going to kill him. Fuck expediency. Fuck keeping the Slayer on good terms. Fuck any and all of my god damned plans.

I was going to utterly eviscerate the man.

I'm sure I would have found ever increasingly painful ways to end the man if not for the force field closing in on me. Before I knew it the construct was on me and I knew no more.

**XxXXxX**

**June 30th, 1997**

I woke up with a start to Robert sitting on the edge of my bed. Robert's bed... whatever it was.

"Good, you're pulling back together. I'm sorry you had to go through that, Nicolas."

I couldn't respond. My own attack of fury had taken me by surprise... I wasn't sure how I liked being so volatile... I had simply lost all sense of perspective. I needed more ways to combat the Primal influence. Simply twisting my mind with psychic scarring only gave it more means to hold on to.

A half forgotten memory _connected _with an interesting thought.

Perhaps Andrew's headband might prove a solution. I had waved that off because of its magical reliance on my own magic and the daunting thought of having to go through another disorienting day while I adapted to even _newer _and _weirder _senses. If I could find a way to power it with an outside source and buy enough time for me to be incommunicado for a day...

Roberts's words shook me out of my contemplations.

"I know you, boy, and I'm quite aware of your arrogance. Do _not _take this as a slight against your capabilities, Nicolas. Ripper is a far older and _far _more experienced practitioner of magic."

I didn't know how to respond to that.

"Now; before you go running off to plan your slow and inevitably inventive torment of the man... hear me _clearly_, boy, and _look _at me."

I turned to the warlock and saw the resolve plastered all over his face. He wasn't kidding around. I pulled myself out of my contemplations and gave him my undivided attention.

"I will deal with Ripper."

I knew this was coming but still I flashed the man a betrayed look before he snapped his fingers and held me utterly immobile.

"_I _will deal with Ripper, Nicolas. You are _my _apprentice and he has _meddled_. I will take the appropriate steps and if necessary... I will keep you paralyzed like this until I'm certain you won't intervene."

I still didn't respond. The contemptuous ease with which Robert had frozen me was upsetting to say the least. Was I giving up this so I could play at being mini-Slayer?

"This is where you give me your word, boy."

I struggled against my invisible chains for a while before I gave up in disgust.

"Fine! Alright? Fine! I'll ignore his gruesome fucking invasion of my mind."

Robert pinned me with a glare for a moment.

My stomach started twisted itself in unpleasant ways... I wasn't stupid. I knew I couldn't just run out of the shop, find Giles, and chop him up into little pieces without suffering for it. However much I might enjoy that.

Despite what my rage fueled subconscious wanted I _knew _I had come too far to just let everything slip out of control now. I simply wasn't in a position where I could discard Buffy and Liam. The first wouldn't stand by me if I kill her nascent father figure and the latter... was already wavering. He'd drop me in a hot instant.

I ruthlessly suppressed the sudden desire to tear things apart and bit out, "I _hate _this."

"I get that, Nicolas. I also understand you do not want to hear this but Ripper likely was laboring under the delusion he was helping you."

I spit out, "What!"

"The man went out of his way to curb your appetite for new magic after discovering the way you mutilated three different rituals and _despite _that still made it work."

Incredulously I replied, "Am I supposed to fucking thank him for that?!"

"No. He took your freedom from you when he forced it upon you. In his position, if I lacked my own perspective on matters, I would have beaten you until you agreed with me. There's not much of a difference but I would have found another outlet for your... needs."

"Fine."

"Good, now you're in charge of your faculties again... how much are you willing to sacrifice to attain our vengeance?"

I leaned back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling while I considered what this latest setback meant for me. Giles's mental exercises were... suspect. I may or may not be losing my grip on the remnants of the Primal. Buffy might have been in on this...

I needed to prepare for the eventual break of my group with Buffy's. This... simply wasn't sustainable. If necessary I could avoid Giles when possible and play nice when it wasn't. I simply wasn't prepared to accept this as a permanent solution though.

It was time to step up my game.

I desperately needed more muscle if Angel and Buffy couldn't be relied on for the mid to long term. I always knew there was a time limit on how long I could play with Angel... but I held out faint hopes I could snare Buffy.

Now though... I was getting ready to throw all of that overboard. Another flash of comprehension hit me when two nebulously unformed thoughts _connected_. If I understood Robert... with my own admittedly addictive personality I had substituted my appetite for magic... with my current power play. I was basically playing escalation chicken... with the entire universe.

_Fuck_.

Stepping up my current game was foolish. I needed to rethink _everything_.

Fred was shaping up to be a better tech-y version of Willow and I knew Andrew was already soaking up as much of her computer skills as he could. Miss Calendar hadn't ever truly involved herself with our group and even if I hadn't derailed her interactions with Giles... I couldn't open my group to her.

I needed to talk to Andrew about this.

Xander was already lost to me and Angel... well... Landokmar would do just fine.

My other major stumbling block... The Powers That Be... I would do what I told my benefactors a week or so ago. I would play along with them and perhaps get a sense of their endgame. The little power struggles in Sunnydale don't mean much in the end.

I had bigger concerns that I _couldn't _put off.

"Nothing. Right now... my vengeance is worth nothing to me."

Robert nodded as he expected that and replied, "Very well. When you believe we must make our move... you will inform me. In the meanwhile; I will be thinking up some _interesting _ends for Ripper. I suggest you start reacquainting yourself with your magic."

Having said his piece and possible maneuvered me into compliance Robert took his leave. I stayed put on his bed for a while before I finally finished pulling myself together and headed out to where I had left the tome.

I cracked open the Flesh Magics book and quickly lost myself in its flowery descriptions. I read through the ancient lore and let the ambient magic flow through me as I imagined the ancient gruesome battles of humanity against the ruling demons.

I tried to imagine the countless dead, the unparallel suffering, and the unending struggle against overwhelming odds. If my spiritual ancestors could take all that punishment and _still _remain standing... then so could I...

I gathered up more ambient magic, was careful to not entwine it with my own, and breathed a mockery of _life _into my daydreams.

For the next few hours I was dead to the world. For the next few hours I witnessed unstoppable forces clashing with unmovable obstacles.

**XxXXxX**

**June 30th, 1997**

I had called Andrew up and asked him to a message to Landokmar. Through him I ordered the Pylean to come meet me at the Magic Shop. I desperately needed to find a distraction.

While I waited for Landokmar to show up I skimmed through another one of Uncle Bob's books. This time I wasn't just aimlessly absorbing information but actively searching for a conjuring spell.

Once I found it I quickly ran down to the basement, found a few empty boxes, and started chanting.

"Yanyur Yanyur Yaaanyuur."

One kitty popped into existence.

Another one appeared immediately after.

I waited for a few seconds and just when it seemed like that was a disappointing end to my first conjuring spell _it _happened.

One moment I was relatively alone in the basement with two frantic little kitties. The next... a kitty started popping up every third second. This kept happening until I figured out the trick.

"Yaaanyuur Yanyur Yanyur."

The reverse chant had paid off but still left me with over two dozen cats. This should float me a while in the game I'd be forcibly inserting myself in to.

Finding out why exactly Clem hadn't show up was a good but was a distant second reason for I had in mind.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 089: June 30th, 1997-B*

Landokmar didn't show up alone but came with one Marcie in tow. Evidently she wasn't quite comfortable leaving me anywhere alone with the somewhat domesticated demon.

"So... what's the plan, bossman?"

"No plan. I just need to blow off some steam. You didn't have to come you know."

The girl frowned and replied, "Nah, I don't know. Nobody goes out solo, remember?"

"What about-."

"We don't know him, Nick. He doesn't count yet."

Landokmar smoothed over the awkward moment, "I agree with her, my lord. Your allies would be disheartened by your loss if something unfortunate were to occur."

"Fine. We're going to Willy's. Let me just gather up the cats."

I blithely ignored Marcie's questioning expression and herded the kittens into one fair large cardboard box. That was a lot harder than it actually sounded like.

Once we got through with that the three of us headed out to my car.

"Cats?"

"Yup."

"This is the part where you explain, Nick."

I knew I was being needlessly petulant but I simply couldn't let it be.

"We're starting a cat farm, Marcie."

The girl slipped into her invisibility but somehow still gave off the sense she was pouting. I immediately hijacked the glamour magic and made her visible again.

"It's for a poker game. The cats are the stakes."

"Oh... "

"Demon's like to eat them... and it's not all that different from saw... eating chickens."

"You don't have to explain anymore... I just need a... moment."

**XxXXxX**

**June 30th, 1997**

"Alright, Marcie, keep an eye out on vamps. Perhaps amuse yourself by killing them at random while Landokmar and I head down to the back."

"Okiedokie bossman. How many can I kill?"

"Sweetheart, kill as many vampires as you want. Just remember to stagger the kills for a bit... you don't want them all running away just yet."

The three of us barged into the grimy bar and came to stop next to the counter.

"**Willy. Is there a game going in the back?**"

"Uhh... no?"

I muttered, "**Why do I even bother?"**

I ignored his outcry, studiously avoided the confused demons, and simply headed to the backroom. I could hear the startled death cries of a vampire just as he or she got dusted when I reached the room.

Five demons of a variety of species were seated around a round table. Each of them fell silent the moment I joined them in the smoky room. None of them objected to me dealing myself in.

"**What's the ante and for the love of all that is holy... tell me you know how to play Hold'em.**"

One of demons who looked vaguely like Gary Busey spoke up, "We... err, we were actually playing-."

Another demon to his right slapped him over the head and interrupted him, "We're playing Hold'em now. Half a kitten for the small; the big is a whole one."

I refrained from the obvious question and simply smiled a toothy smile. The dealer button was passed around and once again I could hear a vampire die in the distance. The dealer handed out his card and I got a look at both of mine.

Queen and Jack of hearts suited.

Not bad.

While the rest of table was going through the round I decided enquire about Clem. I didn't bother trying to be clever about it either. There simply wasn't a way to play this off from a position of strength.

"**What happened to Clement?**"

The Busey-lookalike spoke up first, "We thought you-."

Yet another demon grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed it into the table.

"We don't know."

Ok. That was fairly worrying.

"Call." Fold." "Call" And the round made it back to me. The board read reasonably favorably to me, with two hearts on the table, so I went for a raise. While the others responded to this I thought back on to the implications of what the Busey-demon said.

They thought I had something to do with Clem. The only problem was that I hadn't seen him since the first time he played liaison for me...

The obvious conclusion, considering the rumor that apparently _I _ended poor Clem's existence, was that someone was trying to set me up. I couldn't see a particularly effective way of that happening though.

Beyond the vague notion that I didn't want all the demons upset with me at the same time... I couldn't care less what they thought of me. As long as they were reasonably cooperative I'd refrain from bucking the boat too badly.

I simply repeated my question, "**I'll ask **_**again**_**. What happened to Clem?**"

"Are you claiming you weren't responsible... uhh, sir?"

"**Yes.**"

One of the other demons turned to Busey-demon and furiously whispered something to him.

"_Why can't you just shut up, Krekler? We don't need this psychopath claiming we're accusing him! Haven't you seen what he did to those vampires?"_

I loved my new brain implants.

Busey-demon sighed and replied, "_He has no reason to lie about this, Brandon."_

"_Since when has that ever stopped anyone?"_

_"Why don't you tell me what he hopes to gain from it?"_

At this point only I and one demon were still in the hand. The two of us eagerly anticipated the next draw. When the next card turned out to not be a heart I simply checked.

"We don't know. The rumors were that you... uhh... eviscerated him."

I smiled widely and replied, "**You shouldn't put so much stock in rumors."**

"Ah, ok then. So... you obviously didn't go to hell then?"

"**Oh... I did, in fact, do that. They kind of kicked me out actually.**"

The first demon turned to his companion and said, "_See! I told you he was insane! What kind of meatbag goes to a hell dimension and... comes back!"_

_"This one I guess, Brandon. He seems to be in a good mood now though... maybe we should ask him about his plans?"_

_"And be immediately cut to shreds? What is wrong with you Krekler?"_

_"I just love how this meatbag has you quaking... should I tell Marion about this? I can already see her thrashing your mating-bands."_

_"Piss off, Krekler. You don't know."_

The demon that was still with me in the round matched me by checking. The next card finally did come up hearts and I made a small raise of two kittens. The demon pinned me with a stare before he folded.

That demon turned to Brandon and whispered, "_Why does the meatbag think I can't feel his smugness?"_

_"He probably doesn't know you're an empath Barney."_

That name...

I knew it... I knew who this was. I simply couldn't place him because of the context but I was fairly certain this empath demon runs a fairly large auction house.

"_He knows something is off, I just got a hit of elation from him, I wonder why?"_

_"Who knows how these meatbags think, Barney? Welcome to Sunnydale I guess."_

_"Do you guys recognize that demon behind him though? I'm almost positive that's a Pylean."_

_"So?"_

_"So... Pylean's have a mystical sensory ability. Some say they are hooked up to the Wolf, Ram and Hart. Others claim the Powers That Be have a hand in them... either way... it's useful."_

I struggled to remain in firm control of my emotions; I kept taking slow and deep breaths to keep an even heel, and dealt out the cards for the new rounds.

Krevler urgently hissed out, "_Barney, don't be fucking stupid. Stay away from the meatbag's pet demon. The last time one of his got kidnapped he crushed the Master in a single night!"_

_"Didn't you just hear him? Don't put so much stock in rumors."_

_"Didn't you hear him? The rulers in Pylea, where they keep the meatbags as property, decided to kick him out... tell me, Barney, are you trying to be a vampire?"_

_"Oh please, Krevler, I'm not some stupid half breed. Who says I can't negotiate with him?"_

_"Did you hear that? Another vampire just died upstairs. How is he doing this? What is it with this town... the Mayor knows too much for a mortal and this meatbag... I just can't get a handle on him."_

_"So the fuck what... he hates vampires? Who doesn't?"_

Brandon decided to interject, "_You know what? Go right ahead and poke the insane meatbag. I'm sure it'll go just fine."_

"**It's your turn Krevler, call or fold, little demon."**

The Busey-lookalike abruptly looked up at me, looked back down on his cards, and after he slowly folded them he turned to Barney.

"_How did he know my name? Am I his next... whatever Clem was for him? Oh gods... "_

Brandon snorted a little and replied, "_Well... he is being reasonable right? Good luck, Krevler. Oh, and when you do die... I'll take care of your pretty Rika for you."_

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 090: June 30th, 1997-C*

It was a few hands later when Barney finally deigned to act on his earlier musings. The demon looked over at Landokmar and spoke up in Pylean.

"_Friend, from demon to demon; tell us about the meatbag."_

I deposited four kittens into the collective put and exclaimed I was raising. Barney folded almost immediately and the rest of the table followed him. The empath's inability to guess at the source of my sudden excitement was going to be his undoing.

"_I'm not your friend. Do not expect me to further impugn upon my honor."_

Barney raised his hands as a mea culpa and replied, "_I apologize. Perhaps we could become friends?"_

_"I do not see that happening. Cease addressing me."_

Barney turned back to the others with a dismissive last glance at Landokmar and shared his findings.

"_He's not saying a word. The meatbag has him well trained."_

_"Are you sure you're still going to try and poke him?"_

_"You're such a bore, Brandon. In the end... remember that he is still a meatbag."_

Brandon suddenly exploded into giggles and replied, "_Ok. If you so say so Barney. Does anyone else taste something off about these cats? I can't really put my finger on it."_

Krevler looked a little constipated before responding, "_Do you think he's poisoning us? I didn't see him eat a single kitten... oh gods; we're already dying aren't we?"_

_"Calm yourself Krevler."_

_"You calm yourself! You're not the one set to become the psychopath's new toy!"_

I decided to interrupt them here, "**Barney. Are you still running your auction house?"**

The empath demon abruptly turned towards me and got a sly look on his face.

"Indeed I do! The best prices for the highest quality items are the Barney Auction House guarantee!"

"**I have a question for you. Say... I had access to a set of Seer eyes currently in use by a vampire. How could I make use of them?"**

The demon quirked an eyebrow, seemed to come to a decision, and replied, "That depends... you could carve them out and implant them in someone else. You could... take the eyes out and just sell them to a third party. You could keep the vampire in a box and feed it through a tube... and just record the nonsense she speaks."

"**Hmm, interesting, I'm afraid I lack the contacts for the removal and re-entry procedures though."**

"Then it's your lucky day mister! For a small fee I can put you in touch with them. When do you think you'd need them?"

"**That depends on when I can get my hands on Drusilla. I'll be in touch."**

"I'll be eagerly waiting!"

The smile melted off the demons face when he turned to Krevler, "_He didn't even blanch. Mortals usually have a response other than calm acceptance when I say things like that... "_

Brandon interjected, "_I told you... the meatbag is insane."_

_"I get the sense that it's more than that, Brandon. He doesn't seem to care-."_

Krevler interrupted with a squeaked out reply, "_Did you hear that? Another vampire got dusted! Oh gods... oh gods... "_

Barney contemptuously spoke up, "_Stop being a tittering fool. Whatever you think he is... its mostly aimed at vampires. I'm thinking Brandon is right and we should keep out of his way. Let him cut his teeth on the vampires."_

Krevler immediately responded, "_You're the fool, Barney! Check out his necklace, those are the teeth of Darla and Spike, two fangs of members of the Scourge of Europe! He's making plans to take Drusilla's eyes and Angelus fucking __**works **__for him."_

_"I heard Angelus has a soul now... it's not the same demon you know... "_

_"Still! Why is he playing cards with us but killing vampires left and right? We need answers!"_

_"Then go ask them you tittering twit."_

"**I'm out. Let's go Lando."**

"_Oh shoot. I was just going to ask him."_

_"Sure you were Krevler... sure you were."_

**XxXXxX**

**June 30th, 1997**

"That was _awesome _Nick! You should have heard the vampires squealing! It took twenty minutes before they all ran off!"

**"**I gather you enjoyed yourself, Marcie?"

"Yes! That was so much fun! We have to do it again... soon."

Landokmar was silent until we got in car and drove off. Once we did though he finally spoke up.

"My lord, that empath demon tried to get me to speak about your secrets."

"I know, Lando."

"Is that to be my new name, my lord?"

"It's just a nickname... "

"Ah, I see it's one your mannerisms, my lord."

That's a fairly particular turn of phrase.

"How do you mean?"

"I understood it to be a way for you lordship to assert his claims over his people."

Well... that's actually not too far from the truth. A few minutes of Marcie teasing me about that later and we reached my house. I briefly considered just heading to bed but quickly realized keeping this from my 'inner circle' so to speak would be foolish.

"Marcie; could you go get Andrew and Jonathan, we all need to talk. I'll be in the study."

The girl nodded and quickly ran off to collect both lads. I ran up the stairs to my father's old study and seated myself in comfortable chair. I wasn't really sure how to present my earlier findings. Giles likely wasn't _all _bad but I still couldn't bear thinking about the man.

"What's up, Nick?"

I waited for all three of them to take a seat before speaking up.

"Giles cast a spell over my mind. I just found out today."

A chorus of condemnation spewed forth and I patiently waited until my people had finished spitting venom.

Andrew recovered first and simply bit out, "Why?"

"He was scared or otherwise worried about my... magic. Robert thinks he was trying to 'help' me but I'm still majorly pissed off. He _bound _me... and it's a massive violation... "

Marcie darkly muttered, "Fuck! Just say the word, Nick, and I'll put a hole or sixteen in ole Gilesy."

"Robert claimed rite of vengeance, Marcie. Please don't get in his way."

The girl froze, flushed, and backtracked immediately.

"Ok! Fine, fine, Uncle Bob handles Gilesy. Can we watch?"

I couldn't help it. When both Andrew and Jonathan expressed their desire to enjoy Giles's suffering I knew I had them. The feeling that I shouldn't have to worry about them dropping me... once they find out about my... lack of conventional morals was wonderful.

I started laughing.

Madly.

I couldn't stop.

I suddenly felt six arms around me and all was well.

**XxXXxX**

**July 1st, 1997**

My entire gaggle of minions was gathered around my dining table enjoying Jonathan's breakfast. I thought back to my previous nights carousing with the demon's at Willy's. I was vaguely satisfied knowing the demons _actually _worried about me. I was even more pleased by the fact they picked out that vampires and not they... should be worried about me. The fact that they _still _feared me despite only minimal effort on my part...

That was a heady feeling. I suddenly understood why some villains let a single opponent live to tell the story. I wasn't _just _a boogey man to their things that go bump in the night.

I was more than that. I was an unlikely fucking event. The rumors that swirled around me were mostly carefully constructed. Marcie was an _absolute _godsend for inspiring fear. The Primal's primitive but powerful roar in battle seemed to instinctively scare young fledgling vamps. Beyond that... brutality coupled with letting juicy pieces of information drop meant I kept them guessing.

This was the easy part. The hard part was maintaining this charade.

Suddenly my attention was drawn by something Fred said.

"We've run into a bit of a snag with the robots. It requires a mystical power source... which we don't have. The programming however is incredible... "

"What kind of power source Fred?"

"It doesn't say... it simply mentions some sort of crystal. The writing has faded a fair bit and the robot's head... isn't cooperative."

"Could they be Cedrian Crystals?"

"Maybe?"

"I'll go find some anyways. I need at least one of them for Andrew's headband idea."

Andrew abruptly looked up and replied, "I thought you said that was too risky?"

"Yeah. It's just... if we can make the band drain a crystal instead of well..me... I still have access to my magic."

"You know it just _barely _works with the ambient magic of a Hell Mouth? How much power could these crystals contain?"

"Millennia's worth of mystically stored energy from entire worlds?"

"Oh... "

"Yup. So... do you think you can disconnect the camera relays from the Imp? I'd like to run the headband on that network."

"Oh... oh! Yes, I can do that. Maybe we could use another crystal to power Imp?"

"That is if we can find them of course. We'll also need another base for the network to run over though. Do we still have another map of Sunnydale? I'm thinking we use a standard Demon Locator Spell on it and power the map with some blood sacrifice."

Andrew fell silent for a moment before he replied, "I see... we'd need Johnny to cast the spell though. The power comes from your blood and in the worst case scenario... you can use the structure of map to direct the cameras."

I frowned a little before I understood Andrew's worries, "Oh, you mean if the input from the cameras doesn't get integrated perfectly? It would focus them on demons out of its own accord then... .I'd simply piggyback on the signal."

"Exactly."

We finished the rest of our breakfast discussing less esoteric issues.

**XxXXxX**

**July 1st, 1997**

Fred and Andrew pulled me to the basement where we had firmly tied up the robot they were studying. Both of them tried explaining how exactly it worked but all I gathered from them was; some parts magic... some parts mechanic.

"In concrete terms; how long before we can roll out our own?"

Fred frowned before replying, "At least two month's for our prototype... but even that requires a lot more equipment than we have. I can give you a better estimate once we finish 'plundering' the CRD Labs and move their abandoned equipment."

"Ok, I'll leave that in your capable hands. Anything else you wanted to show me?"

Andrew's looked like he was about to die from excitement when he pulled me over to his workstation.

"We made... wait for it... "

The blond teenager reached beneath his desk for a case of grenades. They were vaguely recognizable as grenades but instead of being oval shaped they came in hair spray container shapes. They each had a little lever sticking out of the top and going around it.

"We made incendiary grenades! Fred handled the chemicals but it totally was mostly me."

Fred snorted and laughed a little but didn't seem to call Andrew on anything.

"How big of a flame are we talking about?"

"I'm fairly certain they burn vampires instantly considering a basic Molotov cocktail did the same. I'm guessing though that these will set their lairs on fire nicely. After we perform your locator spell of course... "

"Well... we don't have to do that ourselves you know. If we can grab a few Aurelian vamps... I can magic them into becoming a delivery system."

"Using vampires... to burn other vampires to death... I love this, Nick. I love this_ a lot_."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	10. Chapter 10

*Chapter 091: June 1st, 1997-A*

My heart was trying to violently break free of my chest. I ran around the woods desperately trying to accelerate enough to catch the bastard by surprise. In the distance I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore.

_Fuck_.

I kept going, readied a _FlashBang _for use, and kept inching closer to my top speed. My agility served me well and I was able to weave through the trees without much impediment.

Suddenly the world was _fire._

I threw the _Flash Bang _into a random direction, rolled out a _Bank Safe, _and charged straight through the firestorm. When I cleared the wall of fire I was met by the sight of a cloaked figure pointing his hands at me.

_No... _

A slight distortion was the indication I had of anything going wrong before I flew through the air. My draining spell still took care of the damage that was being inflicted on me. I was thrown into a tree, went crashing through it, but managed to roll out of the way just before the rest of the tree fell on top of me.

"Try harder, boy."

Piss off, Robert.

I let my _Bank Safe _expire, readied a _Bronze Bull_, and tried a desperate last gamble. I was fairly certain I could abuse Robert's inherent sadism. If I presented a reasonable opening for him he'd hit me with a painful spell... Robert being the Terror however meant that he'd try to overpower the spell.

Here goes to hoping that _Heat Death _through his guts pissed him off enough.

I stepped back out of my cover, let the warlock's entrails expelling curse hit me, and reciprocated by slamming my pain curse at him.

Robert tried batting the invisible spell out of the air but just before I fell to my knees from the pain I felt the connection between us. I had mere moments before the massive entrails expelling curse wrecked me enough to knock me out.

The choice between racking up the pain levels of my _Bronze Bull _and healing me was very easily made.

"Ahhh!"

Robert's cry of pain was like a choir of angels to my ears. Just to be on the safe side I set it to just shy of its maximum before I used my last bit of strength to roll out a _Bank Safe. _I saw my guts at first slowly enter my body again before rapidly mending the distorted flesh. When I got on my feet I quickly cast a _Fortress _and looked over at Robert's prone but hopefully still twitching body.

He wasn't there anymore.

_Oh no... _

I heard the faintest possible crack of someone stepping on dead wood and responded by peppering the general area with a veritable artillery barrage of entropy curses. _Heat Death _after _Heat Death _scorched the area, set it ablaze, but I was concerned I didn't hit the warlock.

That concern turned to certainty when I felt his paralyzing spell freeze me mid-cast.

"You missed me, boy."

**XxXXxX**

**June 1st, 1997**

Robert and I trudged out of the woods after a few hours of intense spell casting to get back to our camping site. When I looked back I saw large swathes of destruction cutting through the previously pristine environment. We certainly hadn't made any friends at the parks department this morning.

"What did you learn, Nicolas?"

I spit out some blood and replied, "You don't die easily."

"Boy... "

I briefly sighed before I said, "I couldn't cast any of the spells we worked on under duress and I reverted back to using my ingrained repertoire."

"And how will you remedy this?"

"More practice. I need to keep casting them... "

"Run through them now, boy."

I breathed in deeply, jerked my bracelet, and twisted my mind into _Hysteria_. The purple light that erupted from my chest briefly encased me before shooting out into every direction. I was the epicenter of a wave of bright light that lasted for a little over fifteen meters. I quickly sneaked a peak at Robert, was pleased to note his eyes glowing purple, and continued with my follow up.

I expelled a stake into my waiting hands from the wrist-launcher and stabbed it into my upper thigh. The accompanying release of pain and magic was guided into a _Phobia. _This second spell tied in with the first.

While _Hysteria _opened by reducing the disconnect of the subconscious and conscious thoughts of all targets within range... _Phobia _went a little further and made _me _the object of intense fear in those targets.

Each spell alone would work just fine on average mooks, simply ruining someone's self control was enough to get them behaving stupidly, but the combination of both bought me a simply unfair advantage.

Robert disappeared from my senses for a brief instant before coming back into existence right in front of me.

"Not fast enough, boy. A competent warlock could neutralize the first spell before your second hits."

"I know, Robert, but those aren't meant for fights against magical foes. It's a crowd control spell."

The warlock fell silent for a moment and showed what he thought of that by slapping me around with his obscenely powerful telekinesis. While suffering under his tight magical grasp desperately tried to clench the thigh muscle with the stake still in it. I needed to open the wound just a _little _more.

"I don't see a crowd here, boy."

The warlock's smug and incredibly condescending tone helped me focus on that one little moment. I finally managed to slightly increase the puncture wound and used the magical release to form my next spell. This spell worked on the same principal as my _Bank Safe_. It wasn't a single instant of magical release... it required a constant stream of magic.

How much of it... depending on the circumstances.

I twisted my mind into _Barricade _and was treated to the sight of a faintly buzzing force field snapping into existence. Robert lost grip of me and in the split second I had before I fell to the ground I cancelled the shielding spell.

I twisted just enough to land on the ground with my right hand around the stake that still stuck out my leg. The force of the impact helped me rend the wound some more and I guided the arc of my _Heat Death _with my left hand straight at Robert.

Instead of a regular fist sized red beam the warlock was forced to deal with a substantially larger entropy curse. The difference between tearing up most of your thighs and a minor incision above your wrist really showed.

Robert stepped out of the way, extended his hands _towards _the curse, and slapped it into the ground. I saw the spell bore a massive trench in the ground for a good few meters before it petered out.

"Marginally better, boy. Don't get me wrong, I _like _the _Phobia_ spell, I just don't think you're powered it enough."

"Any tips?"

"Yes. Stop making things intentionally harder for yourself. There is no reason to split those spells into two... .you would have been far better served by a singular application."

I stopped myself from immediately responding and considered his words.

The warlock made a fair point; if I could combine _Hysteria _and _Phobia _together I'd have a working version of the Necromancers spell in Diablo 'Terror'. On the other hand... I could still see the advantage of keeping _Hysteria _as a separate spell.

It was fairly innocuous if I could work out the kinks that made the target's eyes glow purple. A big _if _but still... should that be possible I'd be able to lower people's inhibitions and lord knows how incredibly useful that could be.

_Phobia _on its own was a fairly interesting curse as well. It could drive anything to fear me to staggeringly unreasonable levels. Unfortunately I had absolutely zero control over its effects though.

It would cause fear in the target but that didn't mean I could actually benefit from it. Quite a few creatures, and even people too, have faced fear... a lot. There's no certainty they would respond in any way that left them open for exploitation.

If I combine the spell with _Hysteria _though... it almost guarantees a messed up fear response in its targets.

"What about _Hysteria_'s solo applications? A spell to lower inhibitions seems rather useful, sir."

Robert scoffed before he replied, "Not really, boy. If you want to mess with people's minds... you might as well go for straight mind control. This intermediate... it simply serves to make you feel less guilty. Scrap the structure and tie it in with your _Phobia, _boy. Don't make me order you."

"Fine, alright, fine. Let's go to the camping site... I need to meditate on this."

"Lead the way, boy. I'm hungry."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 092: July 1st, 1997-B*

I slipped out of my meditative trance to find Robert starting intently at me.

"Do I have something on my face?"

"Stop messing around, boy. Did you finish restructuring the construct?"

Instead of replying I jerked my bracelet, twisted my mind into my new _Hysteria_, and released the now lilac wave with me at its epicenter. I pushed myself to my feet, jumped over Robert's enraged visage, and spent the next few heartbeats desperately evading his magic.

The warlock threw curses at me I'd never seen before, a few of them impacted harmlessly on my hastily cast _Barricade, _but the rest were dodged by my frantic zigzagging. All the while only a singular self chastisement raced through my mind.

_Congrats. Your spell worked. Now you have the Terror afraid of you. I wonder how he'd respond... _

Instead of trying to match the old warlock spell for spell I simply tried to stay alive. I churned out a _Barricade _when I couldn't dodge, ducked under brightly colors spells when I could, and took to the trees when I needed to get out the warlocks line of sight.

A shimmering field sprang into existence to my right. All I did was cast a _Heat Death _on the ground before it to see how it responded to the displaced dirt. It fucking flash fried it...

A few feet in front of me the ground started shaking. Just a few feet... an intensely localized earthquake...

I couldn't even wrap my mind around it. I simply dodged to the right, leapt into the nearest tree, and leaped off far behind it. I kept going straight, briefly considered circling around, but settled on staying high in the trees.

I jumped up the closest tree and from then on just leap from one to another. Suddenly Robert materialized in front of me. I couldn't stop in time and _fell_ right through him.

Was that an illusion?

"Boy! Are you suicidal?"

"Uhh... "

"Get back here. Now!"

A little over a minute later and I was back at our camping site with a pissed off warlock glaring daggers at me.

"Two things boy... " the warlock bit out, "First of all; well done of that spell. It slipped right through my defense. Secondly... "

Instead of continuing the warlock wriggled his fingers and I was suddenly paralyzed again before I could respond. Great...

"Stay put and think about the massive mistake it was casting _that _spell at someone you can't beat."

**XxXXxX**

**July 1st, 1997**

"We're going to strengthen your shields, boy. Fire it up."

That was all the warning I got before Robert pointed his deadliest weapon at me. His _fucking_ index finger was pointed at me like a gun. If by gun you meant a metaphysical delivery system that could rip through reality.

I had just enough time for that thought and a quick application of _Heat Death _straight at Robert's hand. The moment of surprise was sufficient for my entropy curse to slam into it, vaporize it, and leave the warlock a stump. I had about six seconds before the warlock healed himself and made me pay for my cheekiness.

I knew what he wanted but I didn't feel like tanking more of his upsetting spell repertoire. Just as the warlock started the process of draining his damage away I closed the distance between us. I saw his other hand come up but I ducked to the right, darted back under his raising arm, and grabbed for it.

When I got my hands around his arm I _pulled _for all I was worth and launched the warlock over my shoulders. While he was still flying through the air I ran up after him, dodged his retaliatory entrails expelling curse, and tackled his still airborne body.

The two of us tumbled across the woodland soil and Robert even got an elbow jab or two in there as well.

"Boy!"

The warlock had finally healed up and slapped me across clearing with his telekinesis. Immediately after I came crashing down to the ground he slammed spell after spell in my genera direction. I jerked a _Barricade _into existence and hunkered down behind it.

Every spell slamming into my ethereal shield felt like a sledgehammer to the brain. It didn't feel like a physical shock... it felt as if my mind was under siege. Despite knowing these spells all did physical damage... I seemed to be fending them off with mental constructs.

Interesting; this bore some thinking on later.

My ethereal force field gave way after the sixth spell and the seventh came crashing through it. The light blue-ish colored spell was one I hadn't encountered before and I spent a split second waiting in agony for its effects.

When nothing happened after three seconds I got hopeful and tried to dodge away from the next spell sent my way. Instead I seemed to deliberately walk _at _the spell. The fiery blast burned a hole through my leg.

I tried to roll out a _Bank Safe _but instead launched a _Fortress._

_What the fuck!_

Robert seemed to take no pity on me and settled in to pelt me with rocks. I tried casting a _Fortress _but what came out was a _Heat Death. _Immediately after I tried to simply turn and run but suddenly found myself charging at Robert.

_Oh god... _

Robert's smirk was the last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me.

**XxXXxX**

**July 1st, 1997**

I woke up from my forcibly induced miniature coma to glare at Robert.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"A better version of your _Hysteria _spell, boy."

Great.

If he was in a mood like this there was no talking to the man.

"So... I guess I can absorb around five of your spells before my _Barricade _cracks up."

"You had the right idea in the beginning, boy. The lesson wasn't that you should hide under your barrier. You should _kill _whatever is causing your impulse to hide."

"I see... "

"No, you still don't. Did you think your entropy curse would _kill _me when you aimed it at my hands?"

"Well, no, but I wasn't-."

The warlock forcibly interrupted me, "Boy! When your pet vampire was teaching you how to swing your axe... did you not try to jab the wood part in his un-beating heart?"

"Yes..but-."

"But what? Let us not pretend you stand a chance, boy, in a conflict between the two of us. Much like you cannot take your pet vampire in a physical contest. So stop trying to hold back!"

"Ok, fine; you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Let's try this again. Defend yourself, boy."

**XxXXxX**

**July 1st, 1997**

"Did you enjoy stretching your magical muscle, Nicolas?"

"Oh... I'm Nicolas again?"

The warlock gut-punched me with telekinesis but telegraphed his amusement by chuckling darkly.

"You're whatever I call you, Nicolas. Now we're no longer directly training I can see you as a person again."

"Oh... "

Well, that certainly has some unfortunately implications...

"Did you?"

I breathed in deeply before responding, "Mostly yeah. I'm not sure how much I like the new _Hysteria _but the _Barricade _feels amazing."

"Your so called 'crowd control' spell will seem much more potent against the little vampires and demons of Sunnydale. Just... don't cast it on anything truly dangerous."

"Oh yeah... I think I've grasped that part."

"I feel much better knowing that. On another note, Nicolas, you've put off the Powers for long enough. I think you should summon that half breed of yours. Failing that... go see the Oracles."

I froze and after a moment turned to Robert in shock.

"What? Now? I was hoping to skate by until they came to find me."

The warlock sighed deeply as if dealing with my stupidity was too much for him.

"You're marginally more difficult for them to find, boy. Considering they aren't used to chasing their marks... they'll make you come to them by sending you a _message._ Don't make them send you a message, Nicolas. Just don't."

"Ok, fine. You know... I'm likely to accept becoming their champion right? I mean... this upsets me _far _less than it did three days ago but still... "

"Why would this.-"

I quickly interrupted his question, "I have magic to amuse myself with... I'm fairly certain that _before _I would have chafed at their overt control instead of being able to play along. Come to think of it... I'd prefer to do this now... "

I didn't need to specify what I meant by 'before'.

"Ah, very well. Do you remember the name of your... lets called him contact? If this doesn't work; we'll drive to LA tomorrow for your 'consultation' during which you are not allowed to mess with portals."

I lightly laughed and repied, "Okies. Anyways; his name is Whistler. How do we do this?"

Robert grinned, clasped his hands around his mouth, and yelled out at the top of his lungs, "**Whistler. Whistler. Whistler."**

Just as the last echo of the warlock's voice was dying away the world ever so slightly _shifted._

The half breed demon appeared to the side of Robert and calm walking around him lightly clapping his hands together. The grin on his face never left as he kept closing in.

"Well, well, well... .hello again little Primal."

I pulled up the Primal to the surface and whispered, "**Whistler**."

"Can I assume you've made your choice? I have to say... I didn't expect you to last this long."

"**Can we get on with this?**"

"Not interested in small talk? Pshaw, a mortal who doesn't ask incessant questions? I don't buy this!"

God damn it...

Fuck it, if I had to stay silent and cross my arms for days on end... I will.

"I, personally, had a bet going you'd make it out of Pylea in a day. What kept you so long, little Primal?"

"**Reasons.**"

Whistler still had his mad grin plastered all over his face when he replied, "Oh, I think we both know why, little Primal. When I noticed you didn't come racing back immediately... well... us agents thought you might be collecting an army. And lo-and behold! You return with less than a handful... you really live to disappoint don't you?"

"**Sorry.**"

"Oh, if only I could believe that sentiment. Anyways... lets get to it. Will you accept being the Powers That Be's agent on earth?"

"**What? No. Fuck that. You said Champion, Whistler."**

The demon scoffed but continued, "Can't blame me for trying, can you little Primal? Either way; will you accept being the Powers That Be's Champion on earth?"

"**Provisionally, yes I do, if one single concession is honored."**

Whistler muttered under this breath, "Why do these mortals _always _think they can negotiate... ?"

"**I notice you're not saying we **_**can't**_**."**

"Spill it, little Primal."

"**None of my friends or family gets your visions. Find someone whose brain exploding from them wouldn't faze me in slightest."**

"Hmm... and why would we do this? What if it's all part of the_ experience, _little Primal?"

"**Will you honor it?"**

"No. Anything else to share?"

Really... ?

He just went and said _no? _Just like that?

Well, fuck him.

I frowned and decided to play my last card, "**I guess not. Oh well, I was looking forward to a reasonably cooperative alliance with you. Now you'll have to go your bosses and tell them you failed to uncover the actions of treasonous Power That Was. Whoops.**"

Whistler's glare after he recovered from the shock seemed to be ever increasing in its intensity.

"Explain!"

Hmm...

"**No. Anything else to share?**"

The demon crossed the distance between us in an instant, grabbed me by the back of my head, and pulled in close to his face.

"You're going to regret that attitude of yours little Primal. Trust me."

The world suddenly shattered in the brightest blue light and I lost my breath.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 093: July 1st, 1997-C*

I collapsed to the ground, desperate to regain my breath, while Whistler stood over me. His grin was so wide I was faintly surprised he didn't split his face in two.

"There there little Primal... I do believe we have a pact. Of course... the alternative is that it goes back where it belongs. Perhaps... I could send it to that pretty Winifred of yours?"

That absolute son of a bitch...

He had me. What's worse; he absolutely _knew _he had me. I could likely catch most of the damage the visions would wreck upon Freddikins but it wouldn't be pleasant. Not to mention the odds were against me being available to heal her up after every single vision.

The fact that the show mentioned a young English girl who lived for a _year _with the visions as having endured them for a _long _time... didn't fill me hope. If I was sucked into another portal... or otherwise indisposed... things wouldn't go well for Fred.

Whistler's smug expression infuriated me to no end. The bastard had trapped me with my own words.

God damn it.

"**Are you fucking kidding me?"**

"No visions for your friends or family, were your exact words weren't they? Well then, done!"

The half breed launched himself towards me, picked me up off the ground, and kept me firmly on my feet. I was still dizzy from the implications but Whistler didn't care about that.

"Now talk, little Primal, before I make you."

Ok... how do I play this?

I knew I needed to tell him about Jasmine, I couldn't get around that, but I also needed to establish I knew more I wasn't telling him. If I mention Jasmine and her Beast... that would likely buy me enough goodwill for Whistler to back off. We obviously... needed to come to better terms.

I simply couldn't afford having the bastard spend his hard earned deviousness on me out of _spite._

I finished gathering up my thought and breathed in deeply before replying, "**Skip, the one you have guarding Billy, is in cahoots with a renegade Power. The Blessed Devourer is as we speak plotting her re-entry into this plane."**

The demon released me so fast it was as if my touch burned him. I still couldn't quite get up so I simply gave up and stayed firmly put on the ground. My mind was racing a thousand miles an hour as I contemplated the loss of my biggest trump card. I still had a few tempting cards to play against the Powers but this was one I had actually hoped to keep to keep back.

Jasmine has spent the better part of both television shows preparing for her return and I'd just put a stop to that. I still didn't like the Powers but I doubted they'd stand by and watch Jasmine subvert their precious balance.

"This... is unprecedented."

No shit, Sherlock.

"**Can you stop her?"**

He waved off my question before replying, "Not your concern, little Primal."

There was something in the way he simply dismissed me that set my teeth on edge. I didn't quite know what was wrong but I knew _something _was off.

"**You just made m-."**

I forcibly cut myself off. A handful of unformed thoughts _connected _and I was left with the upsetting realization that Whistler was trying to trick me somehow.

Again.

His goals were unclear but he quite obviously wanted something from me. I got the sense that if I pushed him on this matter being my concern... he'd make it so. While theoretically I knew I could just send Angel off to find me the head of the Keeper of the Name... I knew that wouldn't be the end of it.

"Yes, little Primal?"

"**Never mind. About the Blessed Devourer; she has a minion, The Beast who was locked up by the Svear priestesses. Maybe you should go make sure he stays locked up. I'd like for our sun to stay... sunny.**"

"You know... my employers certainly would _love _to find out how you know all this, little Primal."

I decided to take a gamble and see how badly they wanted me as a champion. A little implied threat of going over to the competition wouldn't hurt either.

"**Not more than the Powers want me working for **_**them**_**.**"

Whistler looked contemplative for a while but eventually relented when he replied, "Some would say you're a ballsy little mortal playing well out of his league."

I finally got over what the demon did to me and shakily pushed myself off the ground. Once I was standing again I looked up at Whistler and simply grinned.

"Others would say that maybe this free will thing has gotten out of hand... "

Wow...

"I on the other hand... I just want to see what you'll become."

"**Don't you mean who?"**

His laughter was the last thing I heard before the world _shifted_ back to its normal focus. I could hear the last echoes of Robert calling out Whistler's name as I fell back into the regular world.

"Ah, I was hoping that would have been enough. Never mind; we'll head to LA tomorrow."

"Uhh, Robert, he's come and gone."

The warlock face-palmed before he turned to me with a quirked eyebrow, "Well?"

"It's done. I'm officially the Powers chew-toy. That being said; we have a few things to discuss. There's a... complication."

The old warlock sighed and said, "What did you _do, _boy?"

July 1st,

The sounds of the party raged all around me. Fred had finally found a way to remove the collars from Lib and Mica. According to Marcie and Fred this was reason to break out the champagne to have ourselves a shindig. We didn't bother inviting Buffy or any of her peripheral hangers on either. This little get together was solely for members of the Pack.

The Pack...

When the subject of Buffy's 'Slayerette's' or 'Scooby's' had come up Marcie expressed her utter disdain for the name. Andrew, a few drinks in, had come up with the notion of our group needing a name as well. Things had gotten rapidly out of hand from then on and eventually the least offensive name to my ears was 'The Pack.'

I had pointed out the likeliness of us being confused for a bunch of werewolves but my complaints were waved off. All in all... I didn't actually _hate _the name...

I stood up and said, "Lib, Mica, to your health. May we someday rampage all across Pylea together!"

The chorus of 'hear-hear' was near deafening for my heightened senses. The rest of evening proceeded in similar fashion. I couldn't quite lose myself in the party though.

All throughout the evening I kept an eye out on the clock. I knew my ride to the Mayors manor would come pick me up at eight sharp and I was intensely curious about what would go on there. What worried more was Liam's inevitable bitching.

I already knew I wasn't inviting him along with me. I also knew he'd see that as yet another shady action and become ever more suspicious of me. I couldn't really be bothered anymore though. I simply had no intention to jump through the broody vampires moral hoops.

Marcie, of course, would be accompanying me as well. The basic plan was for the girl to drift around the house to get a sense of the lay out. She would be under the strictest instruction to not... disturb anything though. I didn't want her setting off any upsetting traps. Landokmar on the other hand would stick close by, stay quiet, and look vaguely menacing.

"Hey bossman! You're not enjoying yourself!"

I pulled the girl close and whispered in her ear, "Just preparing for the Mayor. Are you ready for a little reconnaissance tonight?"

"Yup yup! No problem."

"Alright. Just remember though Marcie; if there are any demons around tonight... avoid them. I don't know whether they are going to be one of the kinds who can sense you."

"Got it! Beyond that though... I'll just walk around and see what I can shake loose."

I smiled at the girl and said, "Good."

In an hour or so I'd go find the girl and drain the toxins out of her. I couldn't have an invisible drunk girl following me around in a highly tense atmosphere.

That brought me back to the Mayor and what the man had planned for me. The two of us were tied together through an admittedly small web of favors and I planned on discharging mine as fast as I could. I had very little inclination to rack up more debt with the man but... I couldn't say I wasn't tempted by his magic.

A man as he _must _have some interesting books he's willing to part with.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 094: July 1st, 1997-D*

The limo pulled up at the Mayor's driveway and came to a full stop in front of a suited figure. The servant opened the door for us and Landokmar got out of the car first with our little case of gifts.

The Pylean wore one of my father's suits and I had to admit he cut a dashing figure. I wasn't quite outdone and had dressed up in my own finery as well. Marcie held on to me as I exited the limo and slithered off before the servant closed the door behind us.

The invitation we received earlier that day read the Mayor guaranteed the safety of all of his guests during his soirée. That unfortunately meant that coming heavily armed would be an insult we might not recover from. Luckily for us Marcie obviously wouldn't be subject to any searches.

Once the limo drove us the nameless servant bowed to us and gestured for Landokmar and me to follow him. Landokmar headed in before me, hopefully with Marcie on his heels, and I calmly followed the pair into the oversized mansion.

Once again I was struck by the sheer _loveliness _of the place. The understated elegance of the manor was designed to impress. To show off the Mayor's power according to his own mold. It gave off a sense of superficial pleasantness that nicely covered up the deeper maliciousness under the surface.

"Welcome to Mayor Richard Wilkins the Third's humble abode!"

Our greeter was a short and balding man with an infectious smile. After his bombastic greeting he ushered us into the main hall where Landokmar and I were met by the sight of a great deal of demon/human intermingling.

I looked around for a moment before stepping into the main hall. The entire place was decorated by some sort of living and moving plant life. The red and blue vines alternated their glow and gave the entire place an otherworldly feel. It was all very impressive.

The guests on the other hand were mostly unknown to me. I could recognize a handful by sight, perhaps I'd do better once I found out their names, but I was struck by all the people around. Each of them seemed utterly as ease as they mingled with an assortment of demons... pleasantly chattering their ears off.

Suddenly the Mayor appeared to my left and swung his arm around my shoulders.

"Nicolas! Good to see you made it to my little get-together! How have you been?"

"**Well enough, Richard, how about you?"**

"Couldn't be better, son. Before I introduce you around I'm afraid I'll have to hog your to myself for a few minutes."

I nodded, turned to Landokmar, and said, "I'll be back in a moment Landokmar."

"I'll be awaiting your return, my lord."

The Mayor and I then headed out the massive room and into the smaller little office down the corridor. Last time I was here I didn't have my mental enhancement and thus didn't recognize the markings on the walls. All along the corridor little inscriptions told tales of times long past.

I couldn't quite focus on them as Richard demanded my attention.

"I heard the strangest rumors swirling around you, son. I was ready to discard them until I heard the news of your pet Pylean! Ah, we've arrived!"

We entered the Mayor's private study and it was just the one in the show. I didn't even bother pretending I wasn't interested in the cabinet with all the Mayor's demonic artifacts.

"Then I got another confirmation in the form of one of my guests. Turns out you left quite a mess behind, young man!"

"**I didn't quite plan on it.**"

"Ah! But that isn't what's important is it? There are so very many things in this world we cannot control. What we _can _control is how we react to those random events that plague our existence. I am greatly pleased you came back in one piece, son."

"**So am I Richard. Pylea wasn't... pleasant."**

Richard sat down in his chair, gestured for me to take a seat as well, and floated a bottle of expensive looking liquor over to him. The man unscrewed it and poured the two of us a glass.

"Let us drink to your ability to 'roll with the punches' as the youth say these days!"

I raised my glass, rolled out a _Bank Safe, _and took a sip of the drink.

"**I'll gladly drink to that.**"

"You must tell me about your adventures over in Pylea. One of my guests, Silas, told me of your disruption of their traditional games?"

"**Ah, yes. I was fairly disoriented when I first arrived and killed a guard. I had to participate in their Fields of Honor to acquire amnesty from that... offense."**

"Good thing too...the stories people tell about Pylea... how did you manage to keep them from simply locking you up?"

"**I had met a Pylean earlier that day in Los Angeles. I guess it was my turn for some good luck and I simply yelled out his name when I recognized demons that looked like him.**"

"I see! Quite fortuitous that!"

**"Did you say their High Priest is here tonight?**"

"Indeed he is, son. I believe he intends on reacquiring the means to control his cattle problems."

Well damn.

The man is charming as can be but on occasion he says something like that. I can't afford to forget just how dangerous the man is... and not to mention his utter lack of morals.

"**Ah, yes, I did destroy the control hub of his little slave ring.**"

"Don't worry about it. The priest wouldn't be foolish enough to cause any troubles. That being said... he might seek to goad you into striking first and then... I _must _act. Do not make me act, son."

"**I understand, Richard.**"

"Good! Now on to business I say! I know you've only had a week or so, and that you've spent most of that time aboard, but... would you happen to have made any breakthroughs on the Bryce matter? Magnus himself is present and I'd like to know how to deal with him."

"**I did figure it out, yes. The man plans on sacrificing his daughter to the demon Yeska on his fiftieth birthday to double his already substantial power."**

"Oh. Well that isn't quite kosher... "

I kept silent and waited for the man to respond further. I knew a little more but I had no intention of simply spilling it out if I didn't know _what _he wanted from Bryce.

"Thank you, Nicolas. You are every inch the worthwhile invest I estimated you at!"

**"You're quite welcome. If you don't mind sharing; what do you plan to do with Bryce?**"

"Not at all, son. I'm simply going to eliminate him, in say... the next three years, before he reaches his fiftieth year on this world. I can't have the man continue making plans to project his power out of LA, of course. He believes no one is aware of his ambitions but his spell work is lacking. That being said... what his magic lacks in power it certainly makes up for in control... which is why I do not relish the thought of his with doubled power reserves."

"**I see. You needn't worry. The sacrifice requires a virgin child. His daughter... isn't one. Not anymore in any case.**"

Richard exploded in giggles and immediately poured out another glass. He downed it in one go before turning back to me.

"Oh, good heavens, please tell me you had something to do with that?"

"**Ah I'm afraid I can't claim credit. From what I could find out... his second in command slept with her while she was nineteen. One of drivers did so when she was sixteen and beyond that... I didn't bother finding out."**

"Even better, son! This opens up tremendous opportunities... not the least being the subversion of his second in command. Now; onto some more pleasant subjects if you would. I have spoken with Robert du Blanc and we both feel your education could benefit from some experience in _politics._"

When did he do that? What the fuck was Robert thinking?

God damn it.

What did I get myself in to?

"**That sounds lovely. Could you please elaborate though, Richard?**"

"It's one of the reasons why I invited so very many people. Du Blanc, much like me, believes in a sink or swim approach for our pupils. I do not intend on showing my face before, oh let's say ten o'clock, until then... the floor is yours so to speak."

To do what?

What does he expect me to do in the hour and a half he'll be gone?

"**Do you... do you want me to just mingle with them? I shouldn't think that would be a major problem?"**

"Du Blanc said you might think that. So... just to throw you a bone, son, one of the guests is here to kill you. If you find out whom before the deadline I'll butcher him or her in front of everyone. If you don't... well... thing might get a little messy."

Oh.

Someone wants to kill me?

What else is new?'

"**I see... and I'm not allowed to... start anything myself?"**

"Don't be silly, son! Where would the lesson in that be? Remember... violence isn't always the answer!"

I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't... but I can't help it.

"**I don't quite agree with that but I'll try to keep an open mind, Richard.**"

"Oh?"

"**Violence isn't the answer. It's the question; the answer is usually 'Yes'.**"

His laughter followed me out of his study as I made my way back to the crowd... and my would-be-killer.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 095: July 1st, 1997-E*

I left the Mayor's study with his laugh still echoing through the corridor. I had originally planned to simply head straight back into the fray, so to speak, but after brief consideration decided to make my way to the second floor balconies. From there I intended to survey the crowd and see if any enemies actually stood out.

Once I made it to the balcony I gazed over the many socializing people and demons. Now I had a clearer overview I realized I recognized more than a handful. What was more interesting though was the way certain clusters of party-goers stood together and removed from others.

A group of humans had segregated themselves behind the liquor stands and were furiously whispering with each other. I only recognized one of the group; a proprietor of blood sports by the name of Darin McNamara. He was one of the men I had racked up a nebulous favor for with the Mayor.

The fact that the man held court, well away from any and all demons, gave me some pause. They were by no means the only little xenophobic cluster but they were the only humans-only group. I settled in to eavesdrop on their conversation for a moment. Filtering out the background noise was difficult but doable.

"_When is your next show coming up, Darin?"_

_"Oh, Frank, you should know this! There's a fresh new show every Friday."_

_"Lovely! I think I'll take Fleur with me this time."_

_"Another one of your mistresses, Frank?"_

_"No other way to live Darin. No other way!"_

Their conversation continued in that vein for a while and proved to be a tremendous waste of time. I scanned the massive ballroom for my next targets when I heard a set of footsteps closing in on me. I turned around, jerked a _Fortress _into existence, and waited with my hands crossed for the intruder.

The lady who came up to the balcony was one I already had a run-in with. Lilah Morgan, in her usual ungodly expensive suit, walked up to me with a smile on her face and her hand extended in greeting.

"Well hello there! I just thought I'd come up and introduce myself to the young man who's been generating all that lovely _buzz_. You might remember me, Lilah Morgan?"

I shook her hand and replied, "**Pleased to meet you Miss Morgan. I'm Nicolas Blackwater.**"

The lawyer smiled a wicked smile and said, "Oh, I know, trust me I know."

"**Oh?**"

"Of course, Mr. Blackwater, you've been seen with all the right people. Whether you want to or not... you're on the stage now!"

Is this the part where she offers her services?

"**You'd think people would have something better to do than to gossip about a young boy**."

"Generally, yes. However when someone goes to... _such_ lengths obfuscating themselves from the public eye... well that can't help but generate interest."

"**Ah.**"

I turned back to the crowd and looked for my next target. My eye landed on the massive frame of Magnus Hainsley. The necromancer was locked in social combat with a demon of the same species as Archduke Sebassis. I tried to focus on their conversation but Lilah shook my concentration.

"Are you interested in meeting Mr. Hainsley? He _is _one of our most prized clients. I'm sure I could-."

"**Thanks but no thanks."**

Owing a favor, even a slight one, to Lilah Morgan struck me as a one way ticket to hell. As much as I liked her character on the show... in real life I couldn't help but be slightly unnerved by her presence. The lady was devious, cunning and utterly ruthless. If there was _any _way I could comprise her... I would. I just didn't see an opening yet.

I needed her to make the first move... to have her offer up something for free if you will.

"Ah, you're a prideful one aren't you? I'm sure you have that in common with Du Blanc."

Not going to bite. I ignored her as best I could and tried to focus on the conversation again. I had obviously missed _something _as the conversation looked infinitely less heated now.

_"I don't see why I should kowtow to that man, who died and made him Arch-Duke?"_

_"The previous Arch-Duke, I presume, Duchess. Is that trouble in paradise I'm detecting?"_

_"Don't be preposterous Hainsley, I for one am an eternally loyal daughter to our liege, which isn't something most people here can say."_

_"Our liege? You mistake me for your kind, Duchess. I have no master."_

The demon laughed a tittering laugh and replied,_ "Everyone has a master, Hainsley. You'll find out who's been pulling your strings soon enough. When you do... don't hesitate to look me up."_

Very interesting...

It still didn't bring me any closer to finding my nemesis for the night though. It however was a pleasant chunk of context I'd be making use of soon.

"Did you get what you wanted?"

"**Miss Morgan, if you're going to be a nuisance, at least point out the power players for me.**"

If she bites, I hope I've made clear this is her price to remain in presence, if she somehow refuses though... I'd have to strictly ignore her for the rest of the night. Just to send a message.

"No problem, Mr. Blackwater. Now let's see... that lady over there in the harem dress is Madam Anita. She runs a brothel in LA where the most connected elite come for their jollies. Don't mistake her pleasantness for kindness though. The woman is ruthless and is sitting on oceans of blackmail on _everyone_."

Well well... maybe I should cozy up to _her_.

"The man she's talking to is Mr. Mills, he has one of the largest magical artifact collections on the east coast, and if there is anything worth having... he has a copy."

I knew that bit but still... its welcome to have confirmation.

"**What would their business be with D'Hoffryn?**"

The moment his name passed my lips the demon locked eyes with me, cocked an eyebrow, and flashed me a smile.

Oh, for fucks sake. Lilah was about to reply when I felt the air behind us displace and D'Hoffryn disappear from my sight. I turned around and two more displacements appeared next to the elder demon.

D'Hoffryn stood there in all his glory with Anyanka and Hafrek flanking him. I knew I had _some _handle on this, all three of them heavily featuring in the show, but still... it didn't pay to underestimate them

The elder demon turned to Lilah, grabbed her extended hand, and kissed it with an exaggerated motion.

"Ah, the ever lovely and awe inspiring lady Morgan. As always, my dear Lilah, there _is _still an opening for you as one of my girls. That is if, of course, you haven't signed your life and death away yet?"

Lilah smiled and replied, "I'm afraid I must once again decline your kind offer. Perhaps another time I might take you up on it."

"I love how you keep your options open; that promises much good for the future! Now, introduce me to your companion, even if I think he is a bit young for you."

That last bit was obviously aimed at me but if something that childish unsettled me... I didn't stand a chance at all. I couldn't accept that.

"This, D'Hoffryn, is Nicolas Blackwater. He is an up and coming powerful young warlock here in Sunnydale."

D'Hoffryn gave me an excruciatingly slow once over but once he was done didn't make any move to starting up a conversation. I looked past the demon and straight at Anyanka and Hafrek. Both demons looked fairly bored with the whole proceeding.

I was in a bit of bind. I had absolutely no intention of opening... but neither could I simply turn back to my people watching like I had done with Lilah. This just left waiting out the man. Perhaps one his minions would crack first.

Lilah spoke up first, "Well, isn't this pleasantly awkward?"

"**I don't mind. I was just reminiscing about a fight from a few weeks ago."**

Lilah didn't disappoint and replied, "Oh? Would you care to share?"

"**My mentor locked me up in a perpetual time chamber with the Troll God Olaf. I killed him in a variety of pleasant and not so pleasant ways. I was considering whether or not I should be thanking Anyanka for that."**

D'Hoffryn turned to Anyanka as if ceding the floor to her.

The not-so-human-perhaps-yet demon eventually responded, "I see his ego is still out of control; but no... you shouldn't be thanking me, little boy."

Auch.

I simply nodded and smiled while leaning back against a pillar. If they wanted to play the waiting game... so could I. Hafrek turned to Anyanka and stage whispered in some demonic tongue or other.

"_How many people did you tell about your previous human life?"_

_"Nobody who is in any position to talk. Do you think he really is a Seer?"_

Well fuck. How did that get out to the wider demonic community?

"_I don't know. Ask him."_

_"Should I ask him, Master?"_

D'Hoffryn eventually turned back to me and spoke up, "They say you're a Seer, human child. Is that true?"

"**In a manner of speaking, yes. I heard whispers about you, D'Hoffryn. Is it true you were the catalyst behind the destruction of the Maenads?"**

The demon smiled widely and said, "I like this human child. I'll be keeping an eye on you, boy." And promptly teleported back into the crowd. I saw Hafrek and Anyanka getting ready to do the same but I managed to get a last dig in.

"**Goodbye Aud."**

Hafrek disappeared but Anyanka stayed behind staring intently at me.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 096: July 1st, 1997-F*

"I see Olaf couldn't keep his fat trap shut."

I smiled and replied, "**Yes, he did not hold up very well under my onslaught."**

"What else did he spill and remember... I wouldn't hold out on me, little boy."

"**That's not important. What is though... is my message for you.**"

The vengeance demon quirked her eyebrows and waited for me to continue.

"**Someday, likely in a few years, you'll be alone and abandoned. When you master, your friends, everyone leave you to whither in your loneliness... look me up."**

"You're going to regr-."

"**Anyanka, I didn't say that to upset you... but as D'Hoffryn said... he, much like me, understands the value of keeping your options open. Besides... are you **_**sincerely **_**going to be upset by a **_**friendly**_** warning?"**

I turned around and continued people watching again. Anyanka wasn't the kind of threat who offended easily. I heard her telltale pop of air displacement of her teleporting and breathed a shallow sigh of relief. I delivered my message without hopefully pissing her off too much.

"That... was _interesting_, in the sense that a car crash is _interesting,_ Nicolas. May I call you Nicolas?"

"**If you keep putting names to faces for me, sure, go ahead Lilah.**"

"Of course."

The lawyer came a little closer and pointed out the next high profile guest.

"The big blue demon over in the corner is the Prince of the Nadrah demons. Odd bunch those, more money than God, but not an ounce of ambition in the lot of them."

I nodded and replied, "**How long has it been since he acquired a new head?**"

Lilah flashed me another wicked smile at me and said, "I'm not quite sure. Perhaps you should go up to him and find out? Are you angling for a reward, Nicolas?"

"**I'll consider that.** **Be quiet for a moment, please.**"

I listened to the blue demon's clicking tongue with great interest.

"_What does this Mayor character have that we couldn't possibly acquire for ourselves?"_

_"It's not about what he can acquire, my prince. It's about what he can get us... without it being traced back to us."_

_"What do we have to hide? What those bound to this plane think about us... is meaningless."_

_"I understand, my prince. Should we retreat home?"_

_"If we're already here, child, we might as well see what this Richard fellow has in store for us. What can you tell me about him?"_

_"He... seems to have his little domain well in hand. He appears to have domesticated the local meatbags into utter compliance and most of the daemonic kind here looks to him as a lord. Beyond that... information is hard to come by, my price. There is something interesting going on though... "_

_"Spill it, child. I am not in the mood for coyness."_

_"My apologies, my prince, I simply meant that the Mayor is apparently unveiling his untried apprentice. Perhaps he might prove amenable to a trade of information for this... earthly currency his kind seems to value so much."_

_"You have my leave to inquire with the apprentice... do not antagonize him though."_

_"Very well, my prince."_

Hmm.

There was an attempted bribe coming my way soon. Good to know. The rest of their conversation wasn't interesting enough to keep paying attention to so I turned back to Lilah.

"**Is that the extent of what you know about the Nadrah?"**

That wicked smile graced her face again and she leant in even closer.

"Not at all... if you want to know more... I'd need to get you know you first."

And it begins.

"**Hmm, perhaps another time."**

"Oh, you're _such _a tease, Nicolas."

I turned back to the crowed and my eyes landed on a new arrival. Drusilla had arrived together with the little Annoying One. Instantly a white hot rage lanced through me which I ruthlessly stomped out. I couldn't afford losing my cool here.

If the pair of vampires had been invited as guests...

No, that couldn't be it, could it? That would simply be far too _obvious._ Clearly those two wanted me dead and I could honestly say the sentiment was returned a hundred fold. While I doubted Drusilla would prove to be as scary as Darla had... the difficultly I'd have with her is the fact that I coveted her eyes. I needed to cut her up real good... without killing her.

"That... that is Drusilla, a member of the Whirlwind. I don't quite know who the little boy is."

"**That's the Anointed One. He is the spiritual heir of Heinrich Nest and Aurelian."**

"I see. Enemies of yours I presume?"

"**They are vampires aren't they? Besides... I'd like to finish my collection.**"

"Oh?"

I pulled out the necklace with Spike and Darla's fangs on and made sure it hung easily visible. If I could piss of Drusilla enough to attack me... I might have an excellent opening here. The main issue with her is that tracking the crazy vampire down would be... annoying to say the least. If she made a wrong move here though... I might be able to decapitate the entire Aurelian Order's leadership tonight.

I looked _so _forward to that.

"Oh, wow. You really do wear the Scourge's fangs around your neck... how positively savage."

"**It's a quirk.**"

The lawyer came ever closer and ran her hand up my arm, "You could say that... "

I grabbed her arm in a vice grip, pulled her in close, and whispered in her ear, "**You don't want to go there.**"

When I let her go she didn't back off an inch, "Oh? And why is that?"

"**I don't quite know what Robert would do to you... but I imagine it would be highly instructive.**"

This time she withdrew her hand as if she was badly burned.

"Consider that noted."

I surveyed the crowd again and this time my gaze fell on an odd figure. I certainly didn't expect _her _there. I was mildly concerned that if Deirdre Page was here... so would Ethan Rayne. It would be a vast understatement if I said I'd rather fight the Master again than tangle with Rayne.

The bastard's magic was impressive and not a little bit scary. Page however was in an animated conversation with an unassuming man in a striped suit.

"_You owe me Ken. Don't you fucking dare screw me now!"_

Ken? Why did that sound so familiar?

"_Now now, Deirdre, would I really leave you hanging like that?"_

_"I don't know... would you? Would you risk your cushy existence in LA?"_

_"Hey now... there's no need to threaten me, love."_

_"Don't call me that. When can you get it to me?"_

_"I'll come find you, love, don't you worry your pretty little head about it."_

Page turned in a huff and headed directly towards the exit. I needed to act quickly before the lady walked out of my range. I extended my magic and slapped her on the back of her head with some light telekinesis.

The lady turned, looked around her, and when I poked her again finally locked gazes with me. I waved her over with the widest smile I could muster. The lady seemed to consider it for a moment, narrowed her eyes, and headed towards the stairs.

"What are you planning, Nicolas?"

"**Not now, Lilah, do you know who she was talking to?"**

The lawyer pretended some fake outrage but relented a moment later, "Hmm, can't say that I know him. Why?"

"**Reasons."**

"Again with the teasing, Nicolas."

Deirdre had finally made it up to the balcony and fixed me with a glare.

"Well?"

I continued smiling widely and replied, "**I have a few questions for you. Should you choose to answer them for me... I will tell you how to make Eyghon a thing of the past.**"

The lady, who may or may not have been an old flame of Ripper's froze, made a fairly passable imitation of a deer caught in headlights, before she eventually recovered.

"What... how? No... tell me! Tell me now, boy!"

I crossed the distance between us in an instant and came to stop mere inches from her face. I was rewarded by the lady flinching and stepping backwards. I guess she really was freaked by the whole demon chasing her across continents thing...

** "Do you want to try that again?"**

Page took a deep breath, seemingly calmed down again, and replied, "Yes, I'm sorry for my hasty words. I'm sure we can come to an accord."

"**Good. You're an old friend of Ripper's. I have **_**many**_** questions about the man. Beyond that... who is Ken and what is his business here?**"

The woman frowned but said, "How do I know you even know what you're talking about?"

"**Eyghon is a pathetic little parasite but still not the kind of demon you're supposed to abuse for a cheap high. Now I've establish my bonafides... start talking. Ken first."**

The lady gulped and replied, "Ok. Ken... he's a slaver. He's a demon in human skin that kidnaps homeless teenagers in LA. I guess he uses them for labor or something because when he's done with them he drops them off again."

I motioned for the woman to continue.

"He's here as a favor to someone called Silas. I guess he got offered a gig to do something or other. He's been very sketchy about it."

I think I had him.

One slaver making a request from another... that has good cause to _hate _me. Well... now I'd be surprised if he wasn't the bastard out for me death. Of course... this could also simply be about the crystals needed to control humans.

"**Stay around in Sunnydale for a while. I'll find you later for my questions about Ripper. Now as to your... problem... burn off your tattoo. Eyghon isn't sophisticated enough to track you down if you don't have it.**"

I didn't feel the need to keep holding that information over her head. Making more enemies wasn't my goal here.

"It... it can't be that simple."

I simply shrugged and turned back to the crowd.

"**It is.**"

"Who... are you?"

"**Shouldn't you be removing your tattoo right about now?"**

The lady frowned but nodded and eventually walked off.

"This is _wonderful, _Nicolas."

I was just about to reply when Drusilla suddenly appeared in the archway leading to the balcony.

"Oi, there's the little bright boy in the darkness. The void swirls and swirls... I don't like you, boy."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 097: July 1st, 1997-G*

"**Oh, why ever not, Drusilla?**"

The crazy vampire froze and stared intently at the necklace around my neck. I raised my hand to grab for it and started twirling the fangs around my fingers. Drusilla's eyes followed the motion of my fingers as if it was a hypnotic locket.

The vampire unglued her eyes from the necklace and suddenly looked a lot less crazy and loopy. I let a lazy smile form and locked gazes with her. Lilah started inching away from me, I guess her survival instinct is superb, and reached into her bag for a cross. She didn't quite brandish it but kept it at navel level, ready to use.

The next few moments were intense. The crazy vampire's body language indicated she was poised on the verge of attacking me. I had already jerked a _Fortress _into existence and calmly waited for her control to erode.

Drusilla spoke in clipped tones, "You mustn't toy with poor Spike and grandmother like that."

I didn't respond beyond widening my smile.

"I'm going to make you sing, little puppy. Sing loudly and often... like Father taught me."

"**I don't see that happening, Dru. In fact... I see something quite **_**different**_**."**

Her eyes widened and the crazed seer scrambled backwards at a frightening pace while clutching her eyes.

"No! No! It's wrong! It's all wrong! You're not supposed to be so... "

The vampire then turned around and disappeared around the corner. Lilah calmly put her cross back in her purse and gave me a curious look.

"Care to explain that one?"

"**I think she got a sense of what I plan to do to her."**

"Oh?"

"**It involves a box, a tube to feed her with, and no more arms and legs."**

The pretty lawyer chuckled under her breath but didn't comment beyond that. I turned back to the edge of the balcony to continue people watching. In as far as the gathered crowd counted as _people. _My eye was drawn once again to the enigmatic Magnus Hainsley. The necromancer was speaking with a crowd of demons but was flanked by a single human.

"_When is Richard going to show his face? This is borderline disrespectful."_

_"I don't know, sir. Perhaps he was caught off guard by something?"_

_"What could possibly be more important than this gathering, O'Toole?"_

_"I don't even know why you summoned my here, Mr. Hainsley."_

One of the demon's snarled, _"It's not your place to question your superiors, voodoo priest."_

Hainsley responded by waving the demon down, "_Calm yourself, Krup, Mr. O'Toole has perfectly valid concerns." _The necromancer turned to the voodoo priest and continued, "_Tell me; can you feel the death in the air? Something is brewing here on the Hell Mouth?"_

_"I'm afraid I don't-."_

_"Do not lie to me, you second rate zombie lord, and answer me."_

O'Toole hesitated for moment but replied, "_The local factions are restless. There are rumors swirling around but most do not make sense, Mr. Hainsley."_

_"I don't need you to editorialize. Simply relay what you've found out if you would."_

_"There is a rising power in Sunnydale. Gathering information on him has proven... difficult. I recently received word that Rack, he's the-."_

_"I know who he is, continue."_

_"Uhh, yes, where was I? Oh... yes. Rack has been gathering strength ever since his attempts at scrying the rising power failed... and backfired on him. His magic... it doesn't like failing."_

_"Whose does? What do you do you know?"_

_"I found out a few tidbits through an intermediary. I briefly put my essence in a raven and spied on him in his home... but there was nothing. I should have seen him, his allies __**were **__talking to him, but the rising power was... .invisible!"_

_"I see... "_

_"From other, less reliable, sources I gathered that he's a young man. Still a high school student but he's being mentored by The Terror... and the Ripper... .and the Mayor. Do you see what I meant by them being unreliable?"_

_"Well, I guess I'll seek confirmation when Richard finally shows his face."_

Ok...

This wasn't good. Why on earth did Hainsley of all people want to know about me? Was it simply the expedience of knowing what exactly goes on near the Hell Mouth? Or did the man have a more insidious agenda? I listened for a few moments more but the subject had already switched to LA matters.

I moved on to my next target, it took a bit of searching, and eventually I found Silas. The High Priest, if he was still one, was engaged with Ken. The two slavers looked awfully chummy and I mentally cheered. Perhaps I'd find out what Ken was up to.

"_Do you see that honor-less swine in the cow's attire over there?"_

_"The Deathwok? Sure, what's up with him?"_

_"Acquire him for me tonight and I will double your price."_

_"Well well... what's the catch?"_

_"Are you afraid you're not up to the challenge? I assure you... I can find someone else to-."_

_"Oh please, Silas, you know you can't. You're precious interface crystals are only found in my domain. Why don't you try again?"_

_"Very well. His master has proven difficult to track. All our curses and rituals simply fail to find purchase... if we're fortunate. When we're not they become dangerous and unreliable."_

_"So?"_

I could hear the demon gnashing his teeth when he replied, _"We will have our revenge with or without you. It would however be... costly. I had hoped you would prove to be a reliable intermediary."_

_"Do you honestly expect me to go against the Mayor for... gold?"_

_"Name your price, Kenjaar."_

_"One hundred thousand cows."_

The demon spluttered, _"Preposterous! We barely have that many in our entire kingdom!"_

_"That's the price. If you're not interested... I suggest you stop inquiring about opposing the Mayor."_

_"He is but a __**cow**_**. **_Why do you fools fear him so?"_

Ken simply laughed and walked off firing off a last reply, "_Deals off, Silas. Go find someone else for your crystals."_

I was cracking up. Despite Silas's epically badass voice... hearing him whine was wonderful. I started lightly laughing and Lilah asked what was so funny.

"**The Pylean is getting ready to commit suicide."**

"Oh?"

"**I'm going to enjoy that."**

Without waiting for her reply I walked off to find the stairs back to the main hall. I had a better sense of the atmosphere in the ballroom and fired off a generic thank you to my earlier self. If I had simply barged in before I would have missed so many interesting bits of information.

I could Lilah try to follow me and was faintly tempted to accelerate, run around the manor, and scare her from behind. Fortunately my better senses regained control. I calmly waited for the lawyer to catch up with me.

"You're rather fast aren't you? How are you doing that?"

"**Magic.**"

"Oh, come on Nicolas, stop holding out on me. You're clearly enjoying this or you wouldn't have waited for me."

"**Perhaps I'm waiting for your turn."**

"My turn?"

"**When I turn to you and make you an offer. I'm not sure yet though... it's still too vague."**

I ignored her further inquiries, cultivating a mysterious front was more important, and asked the lady for a pen and paper.

"Tut tut, you're a little young for your memory to be going. Can't remember everything you've found out?"

I shrugged and said, "**Ehh. Thank you."**

I ripped off a page from the notebook, gave the book back to her, and wrote a little message on the paper. I was exceptionally careful to not show Lilah what it said.

"You're lucky you're so cute, otherwise this might have been _more _frustrating than it already is."

"**I'm sure you'll figure things out later when you go over your... findings.**"

"My findings?"

I was getting tired of the lady simply reiterating my own statements and decided to poke her.

I smiled widely at her and replied, "**Why don't you check your recorder?**"

The lawyer quirked an eyebrow, noticeable decided against denying it, and pulled out her little memo recorder. I heard the machine rewind and Lilah's voice came blaring out of it. Curiously... my voice was nowhere to be found.

"Well well well... "

I doubted that was enough for her to deduce my Enochian protection runes but I couldn't keep counting on those anyways. The Senior Partners obviously had rituals that could strip them from me... which meant I'd need to find more permanent was of obfuscation soon.

We reached the ballroom once again and immediately Landokmar found his way at my side.

"Welcome back, my lord."

"**Did you enjoy yourself, Lando**"

"Yes, I have, my lord. I have a few things to tell you... when you're alone."

"**Alright, for now though... I want you to go over to that group. Try to distract the two males with the four ridges on their faces. I'd like a moment alone with the lady they are escorting."**

"Very well, my lord."

Lando directly made for them and I turned to Lilah.

"**Perhaps you could join him?**"

"And miss whatever it is you're planning?"

"**I'll let you ask me a single question if you keep Lando out of trouble."**

"Hmm, how about three? And you promise to answer them too."

"**One and I will answer."**

"Oh, well, I'll take what I can get."

I smiled, crossed the distance between us, and spoke softly near her ear, "**Those Vigories are incapable of understanding that a woman can be dangerous. Take that as you will."**

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 098: July 1st, 1997-H*

I slowly made my way to the Princess of Oden Tal waiting for my opening. A few moments later Landokmar and Lilah had successfully captured the attention of her body guards, or captors, and I moved in quickly. I readied my folded up piece of paper and held it in the palm of my hand.

"**Princess Jhiera?**"

The thermo-kinetic turned towards and replied, "Yes, and who might you be?"

I extended my hand with the piece of paper in it and said, "**Nicolas Blackwater. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance your highness."**

My hand hung in the air for an awkward second before the lady grabbed it in greeting. I turned her hand around, dropped the paper off, and turned her hand back again to kiss the back of it. Mercifully the Princess let me and seemed to realize a game was afoot.

The thermo-kinetic deftly palmed the note and deposited it into one of the folds in her billowing robe.

"Likewise, Nicolas Blackwater. What can I do for you?"

I smiled widely and replied, "**I'm curious about your people, your highness. I must confess that I'm afraid I don't even know enough to ask intelligent questions."**

The Princess finally returned my smile and said, "We're a proud people with a long history but I won't hold any of your questions against you if they are put forth in good faith."

"**I've heard it said your father, the King, has recently proclaimed he wishes to usher in an era of change? What could you tell me about that?"**

The demon quirked an eyebrow but still responded, "My father sees that our current... societal pressures cannot last indefinitely without altering the... underlying causes."

"**Might I inquire what the pressures are?"**

This time her response came quicker, "The usual issues surrounding unequal opportunities afforded to certain... sections of our subjects."

"**Ah, I see, my own nation had similar issues. Did you know that we only afforded women the right to assert their political presence less than a century ago? Utterly preposterous in hindsight... "**

The Princess smiled widely and replied, "Such matters usually are. Those who can perceive them while the status quo remains unchanged... are far and few between."

I nodded sagely and said, "**Indeed. Sometimes however, even when such enlightened role models are present, there is a need for external factors to tilt the scales so to speak.**"

"What did it take for your nation?"

"**A world war... It took an entire world at war to shake off the oppressive power structures that enabled such... barbaric practices.**"

The women breathed in sharply and I could faintly feel the air around her become warmer.

"I certainly hope that our own issues might be resolved with the aid of less destructive events... "

I looked over her shoulders and was pleased to note Lilah was still talking circles around the Vigories. Landokmar looked appreciative at the women and I was suddenly struck by some unease. What exactly happened while I as focused on the princess?

"**Historically, in my world, such societal pressures were either dealt with by massive blood shedding... or by the withdrawal of oppressed minorities to new lands. Greener pastures if you will."**

I could tell the Princess understood my drift but I was still wondering whether she had already started up her private resistance. In the original timeline she was found out about three years in the future but I imagine she still needed to lay the groundwork beforehand.

Just before I walked up the group I had noticed the Princess speaking with a blue haired and robed lady who looked suspiciously like Mistress Meerna. Perhaps I had stumbled on the moment when she acquired the means for private inter dimensional travel?

Either way; things were progressing rather well.

"Such measures have indeed been considered. Unfortunately the locales for said greener pastures... tend to not be safe enough to hold indefinitely."

"**Yes, the age-old pull between colony and mother land. Perhaps you might place some measure of faith with fortuitously placed ally?"**

"Those are sometimes hard to come by, Nicolas Blackwater, and even when one manages to find one... their own agenda's might be at odds with the 'colonies' own future."

"**Then it is of the utmost importance to have balanced and fair agreements in place.**"

The Princess looked back to her handlers and pinned me with an intense gaze when she eventually replied.

"In your own histories; what form have such agreements taken?"

"**Usually they came in the form of mutual defense agreements. I do not recall them ever working out without both sides taking the same friends... .and enemies."**

Her intense gaze never left me but she did cautiously nod.

The Princess briefly inclined her head and said, "You have given me much to consider. It was, indeed, a pleasure to make your acquaintance Nicolas Blackwater."

I mirrored her gesture and replied, "**Likewise, your Highness."**

I calmly made my way to the bickering Vigories and pulled Landokmar aside. Lilah was still enjoying her verbal evisceration of the two Oden Tal demons and I took advantage of that by asking Lando what he needed to tell me.

The Pylean leaned in close and whispered, "My lord, I was approached by a man who identified himself as the Chief of Police. He gave me this to hand over to you."

I took the letter from Lando and started reading it.

_Greetings Mr. Blackwater,_

_Through our mutual acquaintance I have been made aware of your interest in the Sunnydale Police Department. I was assured you wished to assist us in dealing with the increased menace which has plagued our fair city for the past weeks. _

_I would like to invite you to our department gathering next weekend. It would not be quite as formal as the Mayor's soirée but the local movers and shakers will be present. _

_In order to adequately get to know one another I would propose to have a lunch meeting before then._

_Might you be available for that next Tuesday at Ramones Bistro?_

_If not please do not hesitate in offering up an alternative date._

_Regards,_

_Robert Monroe_

Well...

The Chief certainly framed that rather well. Straight from the bat he assumes that I am here to supplicate myself to him. Perhaps he was right though... I needed to see how well my own standing compared to the Chief's before I could commit to any course.

"**Thank you, Lando. I can see Silas approaching us; pass me the case please."**

The Pylean immediately complied and I lightly held the suitcase while I waited for Silas to muster up the courage to harangue me in public. I didn't have to wait long.

"Treacherous Half-Breed... "

I raised my voice just enough to turn this into a spectacle, "**Lawbreaking High Priest.**"

If the red-skinned Pylean could blush... I certainly couldn't tell. What was fairly obvious though was his lack of appreciation of my statement. I had spent some time reading up on the books in smuggled out of Pylea in my down time.

Unfortunately none of them were directly about magic even if some alluded to it frequently. The more interesting pieces were about the history of Pylea though. If I daydreamed about eventually conquering the kingdom... well... it would behoove me to understand where they came from.

More pertinent to the current situation was my now improved comprehension of the duties of the Priestly class of Pylea. Silas... has been a naughty naughty boy. While we weren't in Pylea where the charge I levied at his feet would be a far more grave concern... it did upset the priest.

The demon blustered and spluttered out a reply, "How dare you half-breed! If we were in more civilized lands I would have your tongue for that!"

Civilized lands... sure.

"**What do you want Lawbreaker?"**

"Nothing from the likes of you. All I came to say was that your eventual end will be as nectar to my senses."

What?

"**And whom might you employ for that purpose? We both know you are unable to exert your own, fairly insignificant, force to back up your pompous words."**

"It is unbecoming for one of my own exalted rank to dirty his hands with the likes of you."

Despite his utterly annoying manner of speaking... I still couldn't help but be envious of the creatures voice. It was just damn... _bad ass_.

I slightly raised my voice yet again, "**More important; how would you even fund such an endeavor? Or have you forgotten that your treasury has been **_**depleted**_**?"**

The demon fumed and I could tell he was on the verge of doing something stupid. The creature was already on the ropes before he ever set foot in Mayor's manor. If someone like was actually _lowering _himself to visiting the home world of the cows... well.

Not to mention the fact that his singular plan to reacquire control over his own population of slaves was shot mere moments before... this was looking up for me. Now... now I simply needed to push him over the edge and I knew just how to do it.

"I see you have no shame, half breed. Do you admit to the theft of-."

I turned back to Landokmar and ignored the demons blathering. I grinned at the green skinned Pylean, opened the suitcase, and removed the crown jewels from it. I handed the case back to Lando and put on the crown before turning to Silas while waving the scepter around.

**"Did you say something, Lawbreaker?**"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 099: July 1st, 1997-I*

The red-skinned High Priest was speechless and likely apoplectic. His mouth opened and closed a handful of times before all that came out was some garbled grunts. I quickly looked around while he was still distracted by his inner turmoil

We had gathered up quite the crowd and I was struck by a wonderful realization as a handful of errant thoughts _connected_. I was engaged in a battle of wits and will with the undisputed ruler of Pylea. The supreme source of authority in a vast kingdom was through his actions, if not words, acknowledging me an opponent of _note._

I had _already _won.

If this was what Robert and Richard had in mind... they had wonderfully succeeded. Regardless of the outcome, more than anything else I had done so far, this would firm up everyone's impression of me as a _power_. Of course I wasn't going to settle for simply being seen in a shouting match with Silas. I intended to positively crush him.

If I could goad him into attacking me, breaking the Mayor's peace by doing so, and cementing my reputation as a wily bastard in the process.

Finally Silas exploded, "You filthy half-breed! I promise you; your death will be neither swift nor merciful!"

I smiled indolently and replied, "**I seem to recall wading through your soldiers with less effort than necessary to swat at a bug."**

I twirled the scepter around some more and firmly kept my smile plastered on my face. This is incredibly amusing!

Silas took a step towards me and hissed out, "You haven't heard the end of this, half-breed."

I immediately replied, "**I imagine I have not. How long will you able to hold on to your tenuous grip on the High Priesthood, Silas, in the face of your humiliation? I do believe Grimmar might be inclined to negotiate with me."**

The High Priest spit on the ground and said, "Even Grimmar would not stoop to-."

"**Cease pretending you know what Grimmar would or would not do. If you could adequately predict that you wouldn't be frothing at the mouth like the uncouth commoner swine you are, Silas."**

That finally did it.

Silas charged at me in rage and his two acolytes followed in his wake. I still had a _Fortress _running and calmly waited for the priest to make the first strike. I wasn't disappointed when a moment later Silas tried to stab me but failed to pierce my hardened skin.

I jumped back, jerked my bracelet, and fired off a _Heat Death _straight at the Pylean's throat. I watched with glee as his head separated from his torso and noticed his acolytes no longer found it necessary to follow through with their attack.

I increased the intensity of my growl and roared out, "**I suggest you kneel, little Priests, or face my wrath.**"

I didn't quite know _why _I continued pushing. In every area that mattered I had already settled the issue and asserted my dominance over the vile slavers. Somehow... this just _felt _right.

One of the acolytes immediately fell to his knees, perhaps under the influence of my Primals roar, but the other hesitates a moment too long. A split second later and another _Heat Death _severed the priest who remained standing from his precious head. The sound of his head dropping to the floor and rolling around was contrasted by the sheer silence in the ballroom.

I knew I had every single eye on me and it was _wonderful_.

I stalked towards the kneeling priest, pulled him up by his robes, and softly said, "**Little priest. You're going to send a message back to your people for me. I have your precious and heritage filled crown jewels. Should you want them back I might prove amenable to negotiations. Tell Grimmar to find a sufficient number of healthy cows to trade for them. Now... leave."**

I dropped the demon to the ground and watched with pleasure as he scurried off out of the ballroom. I turned back to Landokmar and calm as can be deposited the crown jewels back into the suitcase he held up for me.

"Thank you for allowing me to witness that, my lord. I despise that slimy priest."

"**You're quite welcome, Landokmar."**

As if on cue everyone around me suddenly started furiously whispering with each other. I had certainly made an impression on the gathered movers and shakers of the east coast. I was just about to continue my search for, perhaps yet another possible, would be murderer but suddenly I smelled something intensely familiar.

Robert was here.

I couldn't get over the fact that he had slipped my senses this long. Was he hiding earlier under his obfuscation spell? Or was I simply too distracted myself?

Either way... I was going to track the man down. I tried to follow the smell of the man and the taste of the warlock's magic but before I took more than a handful of steps I was waylaid.

Lilah had walked up and cut me off with her new entourage. Clearly the lady was milking the situation for all she was worth and once again I was struck by the unease she caused in me. She was far too competent to piss off... I needed to remember that.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is Nicolas Blackwater. I do believe he certainly confirmed some of the more _outrageous _rumors surrounding him."

The lawyer then turned to me and said, "Nicolas, this is Maline Ascar and Doctor Franklin Sparrow."

I knew the latter but the demon was a mystery to me. I decided to take a simple wait and see approach to the next conversation. This could go one of two ways. If Sparrow had somehow discovered that I wasn't entirely truthful about Knox's treason... he might cause some trouble.

On the other hand... if a cult that has survived for literally millions of years through pureblooded lineage demons, half breeds and humans... well it might be safe to say they'd be averse to chance and risk. I fervently hoped they simply lobbed his head off and were done with it.

Either way... this still didn't make the drugs he was designing for me any more reliable. My plan to deal with those consisted or writing a letter to Travers and including the drugs... the rest would be up to him.

I nodded towards the group and said, "**Pleasure to meet you, all."**

Lilah attempted to speak up again but Dr. Sparrow waved her off and interrupted the stunningly pretty lawyer.

"We've already been acquainted, Miss Morgan." Immediately after that he continued in an _old _tongue, "_It's nice to see you again, Mr. Blackwater. I had heard whispers of your disappearance and I wasn't well pleased by them."_

_"__**You needn't have worried, Dr. Sparrow. My... ordeal was hardly more than an extended vacation."**_

The doctor smirked and gestured his demon escort, "_This is Madam Ascar, if you have some time later I would like for the three of us to have a sit down. I believe we could extend our... cooperation."_

_"__**That sounds lovely, doctor. I will, of course, make time for you. Shall we slip back into English though? I fear we might be offending the lawyer."**_

"Of course, I do not mean to hog you, dear Nicolas."

Things were happening rather fast. Robert's presence threw me off a little and there were _so very many _threads of intrigue hanging around I was close to my limit. Keeping track of who wanted what and how it tied into the politics of the Hell Mouth... and not to mention myself was proving to be quite the challenge.

The demon extended her hand and I firmly shook it but noticeable... she didn't speak up. I wondered what was up with that.

"Well, you certainly do get around don't you Nicolas?"

"**I do try, Lilah."**

The lawyer was just about to speak up when someone brushed past me and slightly bumped into me. I moved with motion and out of sheer paranoia rolled out _Bank Safe_ just to be on the safe side. When the young man who passed me looked back over at me I got a good look at the kid.

I didn't recognize him but his entire bearing screamed nervousness, anxiety and more than a little bit of fear. I took a deep whiff and was startled to realize that I vaguely recognized his scent. I _knew _I hadn't smelled it before but... it was still familiar.

I was just about to shake off the weird feeling when a few unformed thoughts _connected _and I knew who he was. The kid must be related in some fashion to one of the undertakers I had threatened. I went back over the encounter in my mind came an exciting conclusion.

I had found my would-be-killer.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 100: July 1st, 1997-J*

I tracked the kid as he weaved his way through the crowd on his way to the entrance hall. I turned Dr. Sparrow and excused myself. I couldn't afford missing this opening.

If my hunch was correct... I had put this kid in the position he was. I doubted he was here on some sort of revenge scheme, he felt far too much fear for that, which only left more sinister ploys. I couldn't be certain before talking to the boy but I had a firm grasp on what might pushed him into this.

I deftly danced through the throngs of demons and finally arrived in the entrance hall. There was no sign of the kid so I had to resort to simply sniffing him out. I walked past a few servants carrying out the bodies of Silas and his acolyte but paid them no mind. I sped up a little as I followed the scent through the massive manor. Eventually I tracked him down just as he entered a room at the end of an abandoned corridor.

As I got closer I heard two voices whisper furiously.

"_I did it! I punctured him with your syringe. Now call them off! Please!"_

A shrill and childish voice responded, _"Hmm. Perhaps, I should make an example of your family. They did after all betray my Master."_

_"W-what, no! She didn't do anything, please? I... you... I did everything you wanted!"_

_"You have indeed. Let me think about this... "_

The short fragment of conversation confirmed my suspicions. I wasn't just going to let this stand; nor was I going to put the blame on a witless pawn. Whoever that other voice belongs to was going to _suffer_.

I readied a _Flash Bang_, kicked open the door, and threw my magical hand grenade into the small room. I stepped off the side, saw the light erupt from the open doorway, and heard the two voices scream in unison. I quickly entered the room and saw three figures crumpled in various corners of the room.

Two vampires and one young kid...

I recognized the Annoying One and presumably the other vamp was one his minions. I launched a _Heat Death _through the still disoriented vampire's throat and watched in pleasure as he exploded into ashes. The little Annoying One however recovered and made a beeline for me. I responded by kicking him in the face just as he closed with me and followed it up by darted out and grabbing him by the feet.

I swung the little bastard around for all I was worth. I broke a desk with his head, then a cabinet, and finally punctured a hole into the floor. With the little undead creature stuck for a moment I rolled out a _Bank Safe_ and grabbed it by the neck.

I didn't want to risk him being able to overwhelm me if he recovered so instead I played my favorite anti vampire trick. When all else is in doubt... remember that they are instinct driven idiots. While slamming the little Annoying One in to the ground I picked up a piece of wood with my other hand and slashed a cut on my lower arm.

I let go of the little demon with my now bloody arm but not before securing him by kneeling on top of the creature. I smashed my already healed but bloodied arm against the blood demon's face and watched with pleasure as his instincts took over. The foolish creature sank his teeth in my arm and less than six seconds I tugged forcefully on the sympathetic bonds between us.

"**Keep drinking.**"

The Annoying One couldn't refuse and saturated himself with my essence. When I guessed I had felt the creature drain more than a few liters I finally ordered him to stop and stand up. I felt my magic rejuvenate me and within moments I was back in tip top shape.

I calmly walked over the kid and listened for his heartbeat. It was just as strong as it was supposed to be... if a little irregular. I made a small incision on his cheek with my wooden stick and stuck my finger in it. A few seconds later and his suffering was drained from him.

The kid woke up with a start and froze once he realized who stood over him.

"You... but... what?"

I smiled to the kid and hit him with a _Bronze Bull_.

"**Did you feel that?"**

"No?"

I racked up the pain levels just enough to make the kid squirm and kept smiling at him.

"**How about now?"**

"Y-yes? W-what do you want?"

"**I want answers. What did the little vampire have on you?"**

"I c-cant... they'd kill... no I can't!"

I turned to the child vampire and ordered him to slap himself in face. The kid watched the mini vampire with a horrified expression on his face. The Annoying One kept slapping himself. It would have comical if it wasn't so utterly mechanical.

"**He won't be doing anything. Now talk, boy, before I make you.**"

The kid gulped but responded, "T-they have my little sister. I mean... they have my family, my dad as well, but my sister is only seven. Please... I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to be involved with this... "

"**Where do they have them?**"

"In our home... "

Well...

"**Keep going.**"

"M-my dad... he's involved with them. I don't know why but they came and tricked my little sister into inviting them. I-I was in room and didn't hear anything until they had grabbed both of them. T-they... I saw them play with my sister... as if nothing was going on. Please... I don't know what to do!"

I removed the pain curse and considered the situation. Clearly the boy was in over his head and suffering for the decisions of his father. I couldn't say his ordeal didn't move me but I had to be practical now.

"**How many of these beasts are in your home?"**

"When I left? I think I counted three, maybe more, but I can't be sure."

Fuck, why am I asking him?

I turned to the little blood demon again and said, "**What's the situation in your pawn's home?**"

"Three vampires keep his family hostage in their home. There is one more keeping an eye out on the street for company."

"**What was your goal here tonight?"**

"We wanted you dead. I told Drusilla it was unlikely to succeed but it costs us nothing. With you out of the picture this city would have been ours again. The Mayor wouldn't have a choice but to return to the old status quo."

That made sense. If the Mayor didn't have his new shiny toy, that being me, there really was no reason for him not to slip back into old habits. I was under no delusion that the Mayor _at all _cared what happened to the nightlife of Sunnydale and the people they killed. I did have the sense though that as long as I prove _interesting _the Mayor would indulge me.

"**Ok, kid, I'm going to save your family for you. In return you need to do one **_**very **_**important thing for me.**"

"Anything. Please, just... anything!"

I smiled, walked over to the destroyed desk and picked up a notepad, and walked back to the kid.

"**I imagine you dislike vampires? I also imagine you might dislike me for my actions that have led you here. Trust me when I say that we're both monsters. Unlike them though... I reserve my monstrosity for vampires and those that help them... "**

The kid nodded for all he was worth but still bore a confused look on his face.

"**This little vampire fell under my spell. He'll be harmless for the next few hours. I want you to go find a pen, ask his some pertinent questions, and write down the answers."**

The young boy kept nodding and replied, "W-what do you want to know?"

"**Everything off importance... I want to know where their hideouts are. Who work for them and what their plans are for the future. If you impress me... I'll promise you you're under **_**my **_**protection and your little sister will **_**never **_**have to suffer from vampires again. Do we have an accord?"**

"Yes! Yes, oh god, yes!"

I got up and turned the Annoying One again.

"**Answer all his questions and if necessary protect him with your life. Order your creatures to leave his family alone. When you're all done with that... go find the Mayor and tell him you tried to have me killed.**"

I was just about to walk away when I remember something.

"**Before you go to the Mayor... talk to Drusilla and make her go to Fairfield View alone. Now though... rip out your fangs for me and give them to the boy. I'm sure he'd like a souvenir.**"

I walked past the little blood demon and picked up the phone that thrown into a corner. The dial tone was still going which saved me from having to go find another one. I dialed my home number and Fred picked up the phone.

"Howdy, this is Blackwater' Residence."

"Hey, Freddikins, can you put Andrew on the line please?"

"Sure!"

A little under a minute later and I heard Andrew's high pitched voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey bossman! Is everything alright?"

"Better than alright, mate. Listen; tell Mica, Lib and Jonathan to go to Fairfield View. There's been some... developments."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	11. Chapter 11

*Chapter 101: Interlude - Marcie Ross*

I twirl my invisible dagger around and clamp down on the impulse to run it through all these _freaks_. God, I despise them so much, it pissed me off. I heard them say _things_. Things no-one should be saying out loud. Don't they know?

Don't they know this is _our _home? That they are the interlopers?

It doesn't matter. We'll _teach _them.

I had just finished my mission for Nick and now I simply trailed behind him as he made his way through the crowds. I don't know how he does it. How he's able to look at them and _smile _for _them_. How can he shake their hands, speak _their _tongue, and not want to throw up?

A little less than two months ago I had no clue. Some would say I was blissfully unaware. I know better though. I was _ignorant_... but I don't like dwelling on that. On the fact that the only reason I survived up until now was luck...

Instead my mind drifts off to Nick and the way we met as it does so often.

I've been watching him ever since he first set foot in Sunnydale High. He _saw _me and came up to _me! _Me! Nobody did that. I didn't know him but I already felt deep in my bones that he was special. Over the course of the first few days I followed him around and simply looked at him.

I didn't want to jinx it.

What if he didn't see me anymore?

What if it all was a mistake?

Then it happened. I started drifting away from everything and everyone. It didn't happen gradually either. I just woke up one day, went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and saw that I was disappearing in the mirror. One minute I was there and the next... I wasn't.

I don't like thinking about the panic I felt then either. It just... it made me feel small. I didn't like feeling small.

The worst thing was that nothing had changed for me. I may have turned invisible but effectively I was just as alone. The only real thing I lost was my reflection on certain surfaces. I would go to the kitchen to make some toast but there was no reflection on the shiny toaster.

It was as if the world was sending me a message.

_This is how it's supposed to be._

_Don't you see stupid little Marcie?_

_Nobody cares._

I didn't question why that small voice in my mind sounded suspiciously like Cordelia. Who else would it be?

The next week or so passed in a haze. I witnessed so much. I saw my mom cry _once _for all of ten minutes before she grabbed for her phone and started calling her fucking friends. I sat there as she whined and bitched about unfair it was to _her. _

When her fucking friends came over to console her... they all praised her. Her strength in the face of this _ordeal... _as if I couldn't feel their slimy thoughts...

_Maybe she can try over now with a better daughter._

_She must be so relieved._

_It'll only get better from here on out._

Even those thoughts slammed around in my head with Cordelia's nasal and oh-so-superior fucking voice. When I heard Nick cut into her, turn her cruel words back on to her, I was so happy. I saw her face crumple, I saw her _friends _laugh at her, and I saw her pull back together for round two.

Why couldn't I be that strong?

A few days after that something changed.

Nick changed.

I didn't really know what happened but I didn't see him smile all that much anymore. When he did it was _wonderful _but it didn't happen as frequently anymore. His entire bearing had changed and from _somewhere _he acquired this hard edge.

His cutting remarks at Cordelia weren't just about turning her words around at her anymore. They became cruel in their own right. His laugh turned cruel as well but I wasn't fooled. I knew there was still that nice boy somewhere inside him.

Unfortunately back then the nice part only came out for Jonathan and Andrew. I could deal with that. I couldn't deal with it when it came out for _Harmony _of all people. What did he see in that miniature Cordelia?

I could understand him being nice to Jonathan and Andrew but I didn't get _why. _That didn't mean I liked them. Not then at least; that came much later. I followed the boys around and listened to their complaints. Andrew was bullied by everyone who cared to pay attention to him and he dealt with that by disappearing into his comics and videogames. Jonathan... less so but it still wasn't a cake walk for him.

Jonathan had a particular bully. One really large and really stupid bully who went out of his way to find him...

I wished back then that I had someone who went out of their way for me... even if it was just to bully me.

That went on for a while... until I realized something. I followed the group out of school and I _saw _it. Nick was teaching themmagic... I could hardly believe my eyes back then.

He was making them _strong_.

Everything fell into place right then and there. Clearly he saw something special in them... like he saw in me. I just knew it like I knew the sky was blue and my father's hugs were empty... perfunctory. He was remaking them in his imagine... as heroes.

I kept following Nick and saw him do incredible things. I was scared out of my mind when I saw him fight that blond _freak _who almost killed him. I wish I knew back then how to kill them but I couldn't do anything.

I didn't know how just a little tiny poke with a wooden stick in the right place would make them go poof. I didn't have a large enough blade with me to cut through the _freak's _neck. I know better now though. I don't go anywhere without my short sword. My little Cleaver.

And then it happened.

Nick _found _me again. Sure... I had to cut through a _freak's _neck to get his attention again but that didn't bother me. The first thing, the _very first _thing, he did after finding me again was making me visible. He made me a priority then and even after this scary teacher was hesitant he looked out for me.

It felt... incredible.

Incredible.

Difficult to believe.

Extraordinary.

I had made a decision that night as I sneaked into his room and watched him sleep. Marcie Ross was dead. Marcie Ross was to be remade... however he needed me.

I think he knows about the way he makes me feel inside but that's not important. It was a stupid crush... I know that now. We didn't talk about it but he made it abundantly clear.

One day he found out about my past times. About how I would back to my parents house to move things around. To scare my mom and irritate my father... he knew about my trips to the cheerleader's houses and the notes I left for them.

He took me out to the fields behind his parent's villa and I thought... no I didn't think. I was afraid and scared out of my mind with worry. He immediately calmed me down though. I think... I think that conversation was the best moment in my life.

I have it memorized and replay it over... and over and over and over and over.

_"Marcie... you can't do that anymore sweetheart."_

_"I know... I'm sorry! I know it's bad but they all just make me so angry! I just... I just wanted to do something, anything, against them."_

Then he smiled that wonderful smile again and said something that changed my entire world.

"_Sweetheart... I don't care about them. I don't give a flying fuck about what happens to them... I'm just worried about you."_

My breath was briefly stuck in my throat but I didn't have time to reply. He cupped my face between his hands.

_"There are organization's out there, Marcie, which look for special people like you. If your parents or even these cheerleaders's start complaining to the authorities they might come for you."_

I wanted to reply... to say something but I still couldn't get a word in because he wrapped me up in his arms and whispered in my ear.

"_And then when they do I'd have kill the lot of them to get you back."_

That's when I knew for certain.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, _freaks _deserve to die, and Nick will always come for me.

What else matters when you have such certainty in your life?

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 102: Interlude - Andrew Wells*

For the umpteenth time Fred and I went over the diaries of the crazed genius who breathed life into a robot. Our initial estimates were way off. This robot was running _mostly _off of magic instead of the original fifty percent we thought it was. That didn't mean we didn't have boatloads to learn from the robot... .the whole thing was amazing really.

Unfortunately that makes Fred's involvement fairly redundant. The only parts where I _really _need her help is with the coding. In a perfect world I'd get Willow here to come help us but... I don't see that going over well with the others.

"Andrew? Can I ask you something personal?"

Like every so often I was struck by the difference two and a half months have made for me. It almost feels like there are two Andrew's. One of which was the butt of every joke, barely tolerated at home, and even less popular in school.

Then there's the other Andrew. The one I actually like being... the one who people _want _to know about.

"Shoot, Fred."

"How do you feel about this dubious Mayor character? I mean... about Nick being involved with him?"

Nick taught me a few things about how to talk to people. When I came up to him and asked for his help I saw his face light up with a wide smile.

One of the first he told me was that people _always_ have ulterior motives. These could be good, or bad, or simply self serving. Most of the time people were self serving. I could tell Nick wanted me to ask about his ulterior motives but I simply _wouldn't_.

I couldn't quite place Fred though. Sometimes she feels like the kindest person in the world. At other times her hard core of darkness bleeds through.

What was her reasoning for asking this?

"Why do you ask?"

I wouldn't ever have had these types of thoughts on my own. I feel sometimes like I've lost a piece of myself. An essential piece of Andrew...

I still don't know how I feel about this.

"I'm worried about him. I... I've seen him do terrifying things with such ease. I don't, really don't, mean to judge him but I _know _he doesn't have the firmest grasp on good and evil already."

Ah.

She made a fair point but she missed the most pertinent one. Do any of us care?

Now it's time to get her to offer up for more information though. How did Nick put it? Stay quiet and when you absolutely can't get away with that... say little.

"Oh?"

I looked over at the Texan women and our eyes met. I carefully school my expression to show curiosity.

"You must have seen it, Andrew. Nick has a hard edge that is more than a little disturbing."

I'm not as good at this as Nick is though. I'm sure he would have blithely ignored such comments and kept milking the conversation for all the information he could.

"It's disturbing to _you_."

Fred was obviously taken aback. Before she could speak up and I'd lose my nerve I continued.

"Have you seen the world we live in Fred? Who am I kidding... of course you have. You've seen worse too."

"Y-yes! I know, Andrew."

Why did she pick me for this conversation? Does she see me as the weak link? Is it so obvious I'm desperately trying to put up a brave front?

Is it obvious I need Nick's script to keep a hold on things?

"Then you should know just how hard of an edge we all _need _Nick to have."

I could see the faint flush creeping up her cheeks. I guess I did _something _right.

"It's not right, Andrew."

Slowly breathe in deep, Drew. Don't say something you might regret. Think. Think. A moment passed... and another.

"I don't understand you, Fred."

Lesson two was another interesting piece. Whenever someone makes a value judgment... turn it around on them. The same goes for appeals for morality.

Jonathan never really took to these lessons and Marcie... she just wants to stab things. I guess it falls to me... I couldn't let Nick be alone in this as well.

"What do you mean?"

"I look at you... and I see you've so _obviously _had a nice childhood. Probably thought everything was sunshine and cuddles. Then you got thrown into _hell_. How right was that?"

I felt bad when I thought of this line of attack. I felt worse when I actually went through with it. It didn't matter though... we needed Fred. Her alterations to our new shotguns alone will save our lives many times over.

If I have to channel a fraction of the darkness Nick perpetually has to... so be it.

Fred dropped her tools and the sounds they made clattering on the ground echoes throughout the massive basement. She pinned me with a hurt gaze that shattered my insides. I knew I went to a dark place too quickly but this was necessary.

"To answer your question, Fred, I'm not afraid of Nick sliding into darkness because of the Mayor. He's not the type."

The next few moments were tense. If she walked out of the basement now I'd have to give her a wide berth for the next few hours. I didn't want that... Fred was nice to be around.

"How do you know that for sure?"

This would be a pivotal point. Lesson three was establishing your own reality and drawing the other person into it. Usurp their position, slightly alter it, and watch them try to shift their stance.

"I'm certain because I know him, Fred. Nick is already not a good person. He won't slide into darkness because he already lives there."

Fred's eyes widened significantly and I swear I could hear her faintly gasp. Then her eyes narrowed and she furiously replied.

"How can you say that?! I thought... "

And there she already went. Now it was my turn to slightly alter it again... to illustrate her fear and worries... to make _her _defend Nick.

"Why do you think he's a good person, Fred?"

The Texan lady spluttered for a moment before she rallied and replied.

"He saved me. He saved all of us. I... how can you doubt that? I was just worried, Andrew, about the future... not about how he is now!"

No no Fred. I can't let you shift back.

"What he is... " I dramatically sighed and continued, "One of us got kidnapped a while back by a weird cult. In the process of saving the kidnapped friend... he fought his way through the acolytes. I think a few of them ended up dead but I'm not quite sure."

If I didn't see it I would have believed how much wider her eyes got. Before she could think things through I continued. I needed to shift the conversation slightly.

"One thing I know about him, Fred. One thing I know for a fact, capital f... is that if Nick is ever faced with the choice of protecting his family... or choosing to be some arbitrary level of 'good'... .it's not going to be the latter."

Fred breathed in deeply and pinned me with a glare.

"Sometimes things happen! Look, I see what you're doing Andrew and I respect it. I... get it alright?"

Do you? Do you really?

Or am I going to have to have this conversation a few more times?

It's out of my hands though. I've followed the script and I don't dare deviate. Not before I have more experience in this. All that's left to do is follow it to the end.

Lesson number four was about leaving people feeling good, or at least as good as the conversational topic will let you, when they finish talking to you. This could mean anything from a compliment, to sincere appreciation or even an appeal to someone's superiority.

Words do not cost a thing.

"And I see what you're doing, Fred. I... I appreciate that you're looking out for Nick. For all of us, really I do, but I hope you understand that not all of us are as smart as you are."

I saw her lip quirking minutely but she forcefully clamped down on it.

"You shouldn't be so down on yourself, Andrew!"

And that brought us to a strong finish.

"To me, and I believe I speak for Marcie and Johnny as well, things are very simple. Nick is good to us and we are good to him. We're family, Fred, and frankly speaking... the rest of the world means very little compared to that."

"Oh... "

I nodded and continued, "I could tell you about how broken each of us was and how Nick helped us fix ourselves... or a myriad of other things. I'm not here to _convince _you though Fred. I don't think I could and I hope I won't ever have to. I can tell you one thing though... we all need a lighter heart around here and I think you fit the bill."

And there was the blush creeping up on her cheeks again. One of these days I'd ask Nick about his ulterior motives.

Perhaps.

Maybe.

Probably not.

The phone rang and Fred ran off to answer it.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 103: Interlude - Liam of Galway*

Rupert is just about finished running Buffy through her drills, the annoying boy is trying to glare me to death, and the redhead is engrossed in her global connection device. She tried explaining to me how it works but I couldn't quite get a handle on it. It didn't interest me in the slightest until she showed how to acquire literary masterpieces, any one I wanted, from the device Rupert calls the dread-machine.

"Keep your guard up, Xander."

The child was getting better but he still lacked the confidence a fighter needs to come out ahead in conflicts. That is something only time can give the boy. Until then I _have _to help him become less defenseless. I admit a fair amount of selfishness is involved with my decision to train Xander. If I can turn the boy into a fighter of some modicum of skill I might not be rendered useless once I gather the courage to bathe in Mohra blood.

"Alright. Take a breather, Xander."

I heard the phone ring in Giles' office and the man headed off to it with as much speed as his winded boy could muster. Buffy had barely even worked up a sweat and gave me one of her looks. It was the kind of look that both excites and terrifies me.

Buffy was a shining bright ray of hope for and simply orbiting around the girl had done wonders for my disposition. She was... full of life, hopeful despite the sheer weight of evidence to the contrary, and so headstrong it didn't leave any room for doubt in the people she surrounded herself with.

She was a direct contrast to Nick. His clique of friends was tied to him by their affections for the boy, just like Buffy's, but beyond that there was no overarching goal uniting them. Buffy's circle of friends believes they are in a quest against the forces of darkness.

Nicolas correctly understand his are in the murky contested lands upon which eons of war has been waged... and mostly is _still _being waged. Buffy correctly understands that there is more to life then this struggle.

Two headstrong young warriors with conflicting views on the way the world works. In the past I would have sat back and watched this inevitable train wreck from afar. Now though... I had more skin in the game. I wished to preserve Buffy's optimism in the future... and I wished to push Nicolas to actually sit back and live his life for a change.

Both of them would deride me for the sentiment.

Rupert's head peaked out of his office door and he exclaimed, "Liam; phone for you."

I made my way to the device and was mildly surprised to hear Andrew's voice on the other side.

"Liam! We have the locations of the Aurelian hideouts. We're going to raid them at daybreak and I thought you and Buffy might like to join."

Perhaps my ties to Nick haven't completely atrophied?

"Why don't you explain from the start, Andrew?"

The boy sighed and replied, "Nick ensnared the Anointed One and will be using him to order the Aurelian to gather up. He's going to send the mini vampire in with enough firepower to burn them all to a crisp. We're going to hunt down the fledglings that will be left out of the meeting when they go sleep at daybreak, savvy?"

"I understand. I'll pass the message on to Buffy."

There was a moment of silence before the voice continued, "And... are _you_ coming?"

Has it really come to this?

"Yes, of course I'm coming, Andrew."

Another of silence and then came the second shock of the night.

"Nick accepted the Champion gig from the Powers. You're off the hook for that."

Before I could get a reply in the line went dark. Rupert looked at me questioningly but I couldn't find it within myself to satisfy his curiosity just yet. I needed to consider this and figure out what it meant for me.

I've lived through centuries of bloodshed, strife and then at the end loneliness. I thought I'd witnessed everything there was to experience. I've looked upon the rise of nations and their subsequent fall with a disinterested eye. I've met greatest of people and I've met the worst of them. Neither of them impressed me at the time.

All that changed when the gypsies bestowed their curse on me and breathed a soul into my very being. Suddenly everything was _real _and I felt all of it. The experiences of multiple lifetimes of wanton slaughter and debauchery caught up with me. Everything that gave my life, such as it were, meaning at the time fell into... nothingness. After that my existence consisted of pain, restrain and an iron control that at best held a tenuous grip on the beast within.

Another handful of decades of loneliness that were only punctuated by my mistakes followed. At least until I met Whistler. The balance demon plucked me out of the gutter and put me on my path. He gave me a semblance of hope, a sense of direction and the feeling that perhaps I could make up for my past. I didn't believe him, not really... deep down where it counts, but I had nothing else.

I couldn't afford _not _trying... because despite the wretchedness of my existence I kept going. I kept trying to continue, to hang on to my life, with the tenacity and desperation of farmer trying to haul in his yield before the storms hit. It was getting harder every single hour of every single day. If Whistler hadn't come... that didn't bear thinking about.

Just a few months after meeting Whistler and I already stumbled off the path the balance demon tried to set for me. I met Nick and I let the boy convince me that redemption isn't earned. That it's taken with a single decision to be _better_.

The last of my ties was gone now. The nebulous string that Whistler _still _partially had me on was gone now. Nick had taken that burden for reasons I couldn't guess at without talking to him.

"Anything we should know about, Angel?"

"Nick has an offensive planned for daybreak. I think we might be able to break the Aurelians in a single stroke."

"Oh dear. Do you think it'll work?"

I simply nodded.

The librarian replied, "I see. Was that everything?"

I pinned the man with a gaze before deciding that Rupert might need to know about this.

"Nick has accepted the mantle of Champion of the Powers That Be."

The Watcher breathed a sigh of relief and I had to resist the urge to call him to order.

"If that's all... I'll go tell Buffy about the assault."

The Watcher turned librarian sighed and eventually said, "Have you reconsidered my request?"

I pinned the man with a glare and replied, "No, and you know why Rupert. I _will _not break his confidence. Please... do not ask that of me."

"Fine! Anything else? Anything you can share that doesn't directly pertain to his deal with Wilkins?"

I thought it over for a moment and replied, "He dreams while he's awake, Rupert."

I ignored the man's stricken look and left his office.

When I got back the main area of the library I heard Xander furiously whispering with Buffy. One of these days he'll grasp just what enhanced senses mean but... not today.

_"He bought an apartment complex. Not just an apartment... he bought a building. He's making a superhero base, Buffy. Why don't we have a superhero base?"_

_"I'm sure he's not, Xander... "_

_"Slaying apparently pays if you're Nick."_

The Slayer crossed her arms and replied, "_Do you want to steal from demons too?"_

_"It's not stealing if their stuff is already... you know... stolen."_

A few heartbeats of silence passed before Xander continued, "_You know what I mean and don't glare at me! Who knows how many people died for the vampire's stuff? I don't see what's wrong with taking it."_

_"I just don't feel comfortable about it, Xander."_

_"Just like with the shotguns? We've seen how easily vampires die from them and Nick offered them to us. Why did we refuse them again?"_

_"Guns are dangerous, Xander, and they're... bad."_

_"I feel safer having one, Buffy, and if you're worried about me screwing it up... don't worry. Nick won't let me have one until Fred teaches me how to use it properly."_

Sometimes I have these uncharitable thoughts towards Nicolas. Did he know this would cause a rift between them? I didn't know and I couldn't say for sure. What was entirely certain to me though was that he would never hesitate in turning this to his advantage. I had no clue how his mind works...

I had gotten my first real insight when Nicolas parlayed with the Mayor. I couldn't follow most of their conversation but I knew enough to grasp that they were playing for high stakes. Wonder above wonder the infuriating boy didn't_ seem_ to be losing. With dangerous men like the Wilkins though... that was when they were at their worst. The only thing clear and certain about that... was the understanding that less people would end up dying on Sunnydale's streets.

Is that good... good enough to justify dealing with the devil?

It was just another question I didn't have enough information to answer.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 104: Interlude - Robert du Blanc*

The Mayor provided a cloaking spell for the both of us. We kept a decent distance away from Nicolas but stayed near enough to follow his conversations. I knew why Richard was doing this; Nick is unpredictable and Wilkins can easily benefit from the chaos he'd cause. That was the easy part.

The hard part was sitting through Wilkins attempts at geniality.

"Well he _certainly _derailed my plans for tonight. I doubt he's going to let me kill the undertaker's boy now he has _proof."_

"What exactly did you expect from him?"

"I want to see more of his cold bloodedness. Do you know that I have the vampire he cut up and dropped off in Willy's bar for the local degenerates is safely stowed away in my basement? Someone needs to tell the boy that dramatic actions don't have to end with your enemies still _walking_ around. In a manner of speaking anyways... "

The man had a point but did he really have to be so _amused _by himself?

"Oh my, he really is rough around the edges, isn't he Robert?"

Wilkins was providing a steady commentary on the boy's handling of tonight's notables. The soulless sorcerer clearly knew more about the circumstances the boy was alluding to constantly then I did. This... complicated matters.

"Indeed. He'll learn or he'll die."

Richard gave me a sidelong glance that seemed to imply he didn't quite buy that.

"I wouldn't _quite _call it that dire, Robert. He'll simply have to track down the women and extract the information he desires from her."

The man made a fair point. What exactly was my boy thinking dealing with miss Page in such a flippant manner. He gave up so much valuable information in return for the vaguest possible interpretation of his question. I really have been remiss if even Wilkins can spot this deficiency in the boy.

"At least he handled D'Hoffryn fairly well. I think he impressed him."

"I do get that sense old chap but do you know what he meant to do with Anyanka?"

I sighed and replied, "You know the boy likes to collect broken toys. He thinks she's going to break soon."

The Mayor fell quiet for a while, apparently taking the time to digest that information, before he finally responded.

"I like that about him. It implies he's more than a flash in a pan."

I pinned the man with a curious gaze inviting him to continue.

The Mayor's damnable cheerful voice obliged, "He's looking ahead to the future which isn't something many of our youths are known to do these days. Did you catch his clumsy, but admittedly effective, attempt at acquiring the Oden Tal female's as his allies?"

I let a small grin form before I replied, "I have. I especially enjoyed the price he asked."

"Quite! If the Princess accedes to those terms... she'll be locking herself and her people into endless conflict. All for the handful of deaths it would take for the Vigories to give up."

Was the Mayor thinking that my boy simple stumbled upon that? I had no doubt there was a cunning and devious mind in him but there was no way he'd have thought of that on the fly. Perhaps he...

Did the boy plan for this _type _of meeting? Or did he see this in one of his terrifying visions?

I couldn't quite tell and the only consolation I felt was that this would certainly lower the Mayor's estimation of him. If he didn't comprehend that Nicolas works best when he's visualized the situations he finds himself in before... he won't be able to exploit that.

"Do you think he'll see through the bribery?"

"Obviously, Richard, he will. To what extend will he though?"

"Hmm, I'll bet the _Duke Heinrich's_ _Compendium _that he'll know _something _is afoot but can't take advantage of it properly."

That infuriating man _knows _I was looking for that reference work. It held one the few detailed descriptions of ancient Primals and their avatars. Rumor has it that the Wolf, Ram and Hart started out as little better then Primal parasites and somehow managed to hang on long enough to bootstrap themselves into power.

I wasn't quite sure I bought that.

I pretended to consider it for a moment and replied, "I still have a _Flesh Magick _tome you didn't manage to win."

"Pish posh, I wasn't trying to win that one. No-one but the boy and you can read them. Has he figured that out yet?"

"I'm sure he has."

He hasn't. I don't know what exactly is stopping him from trying to share his blood magic spells with his circle of broken toy's but it effectively kept him from realizing there was something more going on on with his magic. He grasped that it had a cost but he still didn't _understand_. Perhaps if he caught of glimpse of how out of place and time our magic is...

He has to do _that _on his own.

Until then his incidental killings will cover the interest.

"Oh, look, he's about to futilely negotiate with the blues."

I didn't respond beyond a grunt. Why does Wilkins persist with these ineffectual pokes?

"**I see... and you're willing to let me state my own price, your Highness?**_"_

One of Prince's flunkies turned to the Prince, _"It's working, my Prince, he likely believes he is taking advantage of us by naming a high price and perhaps not question our motives. We can easily discharge anything below a handful million of their dollars."_

_"Go on then."_

_"_That is true. We will pay you whatever you reasonably request."

My boy didn't hesitate before replying, "**The payment for the mercenaries goes through me. Beyond that I want fifteen million dollars."**

Richard snorted and slapped me on the shoulders. I had to let the soulless sorcerer do that. It took some doing but I managed to not kill him.

"He's trying to subvert the loyalties of the mercenaries isn't he?"

"I do believe that means I win, again, Richard."

The Mayor laughed his throaty laugh and replied, "I'd say we're both winning here but yes... the _compendium _is indeed yours. Funny isn't it? He has no clue why they want to go through him but he still manages to assert enough influence over future negotiations... to keep him in the loop so to speak."

I sagely nodded and said, "Nicolas has a way... of resolving issues in his favor."

"Oh! I can see that! Trust me on that, Robert. I am a little curious about his involvement with the Illyrian's though. What could Sparrow possibly want from him?"

"I'm not quite sure. Perhaps we should follow him."

Wilkins clasped his arm through mine and I was once again forced to fight back the part of me that wanted to rip his spine out through his navel. Instead I just smiled and let myself be guided towards the Illyrians. We weaved our way through the throngs of guests but I noticed Richard was taking special care to widely go past Hainsley. Perhaps there is something there with the Necromancer?

I'd need to meditate on it.

We followed the group out of the main hall and into one of the many side rooms Wilkins keeps around for 'private' conversations. Anyone who fell for that might by Wolfram &amp; Harts safety guarantee for their Halloween parties as well...

"**So... what can I do for you, Dr. Sparrow?"**

_"? ? ? ? ? ?"_

_"__**? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?"**_

_"? ? ? ? ? ?"_

_"__**? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?"**_

"Well... isn't that disappointing?"

There was something about the smug way he put that. The bastard knew whatever ancient tongue they were speaking now. I'd need to use another memory ritual to study on them...

I turned to Richard and stage whispered, "Now you don't have the infant to butcher... are you going to settle for your Confirmation?"

I'd seen the rows and rows of demonic, and some not so demonic, heads of creatures and people that foolishly tried to usurp the power of the Hell Mouth over the past year. It sent quite the message of power through the East Coast supernatural community.

Nobody would be able to claim the Hell Mouth is being left unattended.

"No, no, no Robert! That just wouldn't do. Well... it might. It might have to. I'd be cranky though."

Oh for heaven's sake...

"Tell me Robert... if it came down to a slug match between you and Magnus. Who'd remain standing?"

I'm not the soulless one, Wilkins.

"I don't quite know. The only dead worshippers I've dealt with where the zombie lords in New Orleans."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 105: Interlude - Jonathan Levinson*

I carried the diary I've been keeping for the past three years as I walked out of my bedroom. The habit of recording my days started around the end of middle school and I've been keeping it up ever since. I'm sure other people cringe when they read their own early diary writings... but it carried quite the added punch for me. The contrast between the past two and a half months... and everything that came before was jarring to say the least.

I had changed.

Substantially.

My mother was of the same opinion, _"Don't you dare walk out the door Jonathan Mosha Levinson! I didn't raise you to be... to be... this!"_

_"How very eloquent of you, mother."_

She sped ahead of me and tried to bar me from the front door. She wasn't an imposing woman to begin with and this frantic panic attack of hers should have made me feel at least somewhat sad about this. All I can muster is a vague sense of discomfort. She never really paid any attention to me... not beyond the barest minimum she could get away with.

Why was she trying to keep me here?

Why was she trying to keep me _weak?_

"_You can't just leave your mother Jonathan!"_

_"Oh? Would... the neighbors start talking?"_

_"What?"_

_"That's what has you in a tiff isn't it? What if the neighbors find out that little chubby Jonathan fellow left his mom... I wonder what's __**wrong **__with her?"_

_"N-no... "_

I sighed and decided not to waste any more time on this.

"_I can't go through this anymore. I'm not going to sit here and pretend the scraps you're offering me are enough. I'm tired of you forgetting me, I'm tired of not being a priority and I'm especially tired of your constant disappointing... you-ness."_

_"No... we can talk about this, little Mosha, can't we?"_

_"Fine. Tell me, mother, have you picked up my prescription today? Did you sign my report card for the year's end? Have you called the summer camp I was trying to get into? Did you do __**anything **__at all... anything I __**needed **__you to do at all?"_

Her mouth opened and closed but I already knew the answers. As always... these things fall to me. They always have but I just never had the strength to look at my surroundings... my life and simply _judge _it.

I'm _not _happy the way things were.

I'm _not _pleased having to carry around that empty feeling inside when she just... _dismisses _my wants and needs.

I am _entirely _willing to change as much as it takes.

Ergo... I need to get out of this environment.

I walked past my frantic mother and didn't even look back once as I made my way to the truck. I had already collected all the irreplaceable stuff from my room and everything else could be handled by the bundles of money I had access to now. I wasn't _stuck _anymore and good god did that feel amazing.

Mica gave me a curious look once I got into the truck and fired up the engine. I starting giggling uncontrollably but it wasn't purely out of a sense of relief. There was the stark realization that if I stopped laughing I'd definitely start crying.

I was _done._

I was _scared._

"Are you alright friend Jonathan?"

It took a while before I had a handle on my out of control elation and despair. I breathed in deeply, slowly and as often as it took before the tears stopped threatening to fall.

"I'll be alright soon, Mica."

"May I ask what's going on? I was under the impression you were simply gathering supplies?"

"I was... I was getting rid of some dead weight. Don't worry about it."

The man nodded and replied, "If you say so you friend Jonathan."

I drove off and a few minutes later we arrived at Nick's house or I should remind myself our temporary home. Within a few days the new apartments will be done and we can all move in. We'd still have a bunch of work to do but at least the first floor would be livable by then. If everything goes according to our plan we can have an apartment set aside for Mica and Lib. Fred and Kar will get their own apartment while Marcie, Drew, Nick and I would stick together in yet another apartment.

We all knew why even if no one wanted to vocalize it.

Nick gets antsy, mildly hysterical, and increasingly jumpy whenever we're too far from him. None of us really brought up with him but Marcie certainly makes it a point to stay in extremely close proximity to him. Andrew and I seem to orbit around him naturally but on occasion I have to remind myself to reach and touch him.

A simple squeeze of his shoulders as we brush past him works wonders. He immediately calms down and the magic in the room that perpetually follows him around stops crackling. In fact... it starts faintly humming to the tune of his heartbeat and that in turn both calms and centers everyone else in house.

I'm not sure when exactly I turned into the house mother but it simply happened somewhere along the way. I already had a lifetime of experiences taking care of myself and my infantile mother. At least this way I'm taking care of people who would do the same for me, albeit in differing areas.

Marcie will go miles out of her way to do something nice to cheer me up. Andrew routinely drops everything just to come over and talk to me. Nick...

Nick can't really be quantified. Usually he's fairly involved with himself and seems to get lost in his thoughts. Many times I've caught him simply frowning while staring at a blank wall. It's not just that though...

When we watch our favorite shows together, or play boardgames, or do anything purely social he seems to tune out. I don't quite the sense that he's simply bored but that he's actively planning for future threats.

When he isn't calmly detached and daydreaming though is when I start shaking.

Nick is scary, deadly, and utterly uncompromising at anything that threatens us. I can't quite put into words how I feel about that. On the one hand I _love _it. On the other... I'm worried about what he'll do if some of _us _get hurt too badly.

All I know is that it won't be pretty.

Mica went off to find Lib. Both of the Pylean born men had work to do. Fred had designed a fairly impressive syllabus to help them, and Kar whenever she feels like it, come to grips with the differences between our worlds. The hardest part was getting them started on the alphabet but certain memory rituals assisted us greatly. I couldn't imagine having go through all of that without some magical support.

I know the men want to go back home in a quest for liberation but I can't help dreading the moment they'll turn to Nick for help.

I have no doubt he'd go back to hell to free all those people.

I have even fewer doubts he'd come back at the head of a hardened army.

"Anyone home?"

No reply.

Andrew and Fred must be in the basement fiddling with the robot. Kar is wherever she damn well pleases and that leaves me pretty much with the run of the house. I briefly contemplate bitching about my day to Andrew but that can wait. Now I have a ritual to complete.

I'm a little worried but I've run through all the steps together with Uncle Bob and he assured me that from a magical viewpoint... there shouldn't be any issues.

_"Don't fuck it up, pet. Nick would be upset if you fry your brain out of your skull and I don't __**do **__consoling."_

At least I he makes clear where _his _priorities lay.

I gathered the supplies I needed, clutched my diary again, and make my way out back. A few minutes later and I stood over an open fire in the backyard of Nick's family mansion replaying the day's events in my mind's eye. All the while I kept up a steady low buzzing by saturating my magic within the flames.

I felt them _cleanse _it and the magic I pulled back from the flames felt more... simply felt better. I gathered up the cleansed magic and redirected it back towards me. A few more times and I was fairly certain I could keep the perpetual cycle going. Once I was confident I had cycled through enough reserves I started chanting.

"_Hear my plea oh great Ēostre! I beg of you sanctuary and guidance. Hear my plea oh great Ēostre; Goddess of Rebirth."_

I kept up the chanting until I felt a change in the air and that was the moment I had been waiting for. I reached for the diary, grabbed hold of all the pages before May, and ripped them off with a magic assisted pull. I threw the remaining pages behind me and slowly floated those I had ripped off into the fire. I lost myself in the vision that came as a side effect of the ritual.

I'm not sure how much time passed but a while later Andrew yelled for me from the backdoor porch.

"Johnny! Nick made a stupid plan we need to fix. Hurry up!"

I slowly turned, let a lazy grin form, and replied, "I'm on my way, Drew."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 106: July 1st, 1997-K*

"Erm, how about you make the kid grab the phone when you leave. We can direct the questions while you go back to your politicking."

Huh.

"Alright. Anything else, Drew?"

"Yeah, tell the mini vampire to obey me. I think we can come up with a slightly more destructive plan, Nick."

"Oh?"

"The little creep can be our suicide bomber. We can order him to order Drusilla to start gathering up the higher ranked vampires together. We'll be able to just sweep up the fledglings in days."

"That... sounds a lot better than what I had in mind."

"Good! So uh... we'll probably not be able to salvage Drusilla's eyes or fangs... "

Did I _really _need them?

"Fuck it, it doesn't matter. Run this past everyone and get Liam and Buffy in on this. "

"Alrighty bossman! Now hand over the phone to the kid."

This was a little concerting and I considered this latest development as I handed off the phone to the undertaker's son. I wasn't concerned about Andrew stepping up like that. In fact I was pleased as peaches the boy caught my glaring oversight. I was upset about my focus on personal trophies over a potentially decisive victory. I really needed to start thinking things through.

"**Obey the person on the other end of the line."**

With that said I left the ruined little office and walked back to the main hall. Once again my eyes were caught by the runes etched into the walls of the corridors. I came to an abrupt stop once a light flicked on in my mind and I realized why I skipped over this before. The runes spelled out a fairly massive spell.

I metaphysically scratched at the edges hoping for a reaction. The Mayor had opened his home for a variety of guests, most acquainted with and saturated by magic, which led me to believe the magic wouldn't be overtly dangerous. It was designed to be prodded by observant guests and if my guess was right...

It was an opportunity for the Mayor to brag once the guests failed at piercing the veil.

My poking and scratching returned absolutely zilch and I was forced to leave the spell's structure behind. Maybe I could get Richard to explain it later?

"_Ah, Mr. Blackwater, could we have a moment of your time?"_

Dr. Sparrow and his demonic escort waylaid me before I even reached the ball room. I hadn't had any time to consider what they might have wanted from me. I wasn't even sure _if _I wanted to have future dealings with the man if his drug panned out.

"_Of course." _I said as I gestured to an alcove that led a faintly lit open plaza.

When got there Sparrow immediately came to the point.

"_We require your assistance in a delicate matter, Mr. Blackwater. Our circumstances prevent us from reaching out to others who aren't... in the know... if you will."_

Well that certainly explains why they came to me, a relative upstart in our circles, instead of one of many already established factions. I was, of course, intensely aware of the bargaining position this put me in. The Illyrians couldn't afford anyone else poking their heads into their business. They couldn't afford turning against the singular faction that might not object to their aims.

Nobody in their right mind wants Illyria back. Especially not in a world so thoroughly dominated by the Wolf, Ram and Hart...

"_I'm all ears, Doctor."_

"_As you know we have... investigated your claims concerning one of our own. Somehow the party has gotten word of our efforts and disappeared with the regalia we need. His own people are sheltering him and accuse us of dreadful things. It's a delicate balance for now but we absolutely must have the regalia back."_

Religion fucking infighting...

"_How do you foresee my being of use in your... schism?"_

The two glanced over at each other before the demon nodded to Sparrow.

_ "Our organization cannot bring any force to bear nor can we be allowed to come to the attention of certain parties. Where we shine is in information gathering and enduring the chaotic ravages of time."_

Which likely meant that they knew where Knox was and wanted me to take him out? No... that didn't seem to fit. Perhaps they wanted me to somehow just get the religious artifacts they needed _out _of Knox and into their hands? In any case I doubted that they _couldn't _go after him.

They likely just wanted to use me as an opening bid. A fairly painless way of potentially getting rid of one threat by using another...

"_I see."_

The doctor smiled a brittle smile and continued, "_We have located the traitor and his clan. They seem to have absconded into a self contained dimension of some size. We're willing to pay you whatever you need to go in and extract the relics."_

_"How have they managed to acquire a pocket dimension?"_

_"Ah, that is one of our other specialties. Our glorious lord has blessed us with a small measure of access into dimensional magics. Nothing large scale but we can fold areas into themselves and direct their flows."_

I notice you didn't mention that before... or perhaps that was how they survived the 'ravages of time'?

"_And you're willing to pay for me to go in and grab him?"_

_"Indeed. No price would be too high. We __**must **__have the relics back."_

I wonder if it would blow his mind to know that Illyria doesn't give a flying fuck about it.

_"Hmm. Let's say I was interested in acquiring your services in bulk? Could you realistically upload enough knowledge in an illiterate subject to turn them into a competent... let's say engineer?"_

The man's grin became utterly predatory when he replied, _"Certainly. It'll take multiple sessions for each but I am not the only one skilled in such matters. We can have a few of my apprentices handle the details while I sketch out the rituals."_

_ "Dependent on my associate's feedback... I can only say I'm interested."_

_ "Ah, I'm disappointed, but I can't fault you for taking your time. Until then all that remains is our previous agreement. I have the chemicals ready for you and I believe they will prove useful for your purposes."_

Is he claiming to know why I want them?

"_I can see your confusion. Permit me to explain? My people have long memories and on occasion we hear of Slayers that are fed up with the Watchers Council's antics. They used similar means to fake their deaths and rid themselves of the Council's gaze."_

Well well...

_"Are you claiming the Council is aware of the possibility?"_

_"Indeed they are. As far as they are aware though... it's a needless risk that's made pointless by the passage of time. Of course... they don't have the foresight to consider the safety measures modern medicine can put into play."_

It wasn't perfect but it beat having my hard won drug be utterly useless.

The demon reached into her robe and pulled out a smallish case. She extended it to me and I tried grabbing it out of her paws. Just as I got my hands around in the demon lashed out and grabbed them by the wrists.

"_Good. Good strong magic. Fare well little Primal."_

_"Thank you for taking the time to hear our offer. Enjoy the rest of your evening!"_

I watched the Illyrians head back to the main hall and once they had a decent lead on me I followed them. I was practically salivating at the thought of my plans coming together.

Well... plans.

More like well aimed hunches.

If Grimmar pulled through and got me a decent amount of slaves I could free them and realistically count on at least a fourth to stay and fight. With both Mica and Lib around to sniff out potential agents of the Pyleans and Fred working on getting the new imports settled into this world... the possibilities were staggering.

At worst I might count on an increase of forty to a hundred new fighters. What's even better is that if I had Sparrow as a longer term ally... I could potentially turn each of them into competent engineers and soldiers... in hours.

Just as I reached the massive ballroom I noticed Mr. McNamara walking out of the hall. The man looked furious and his posse was right on his heels. I had hoped to negotiate a deal with the man but perhaps I shouldn't poke him while he's so obviously unbalanced.

Or perhaps this would be the best time?

_"How dare these fuckers? I'm going to find another freak just like him... just out of spite. I don't care how small and skinny they are."_

Yup.

Not tonight.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 107: July 1st, 1997-L*

"You've handled yourself reasonably."

Richard Wilkins has suddenly appeared behind me looking exceptionally smug about _something_. I could vaguely smell blood on the man and there was a sense of power crackling all around him. He obviously spent his time secluded doing _something _but I couldn't quite guess at what it was. Perhaps he made another deal with a demon?

"**Thank you."**

The man came up to and ran his hands over the cut I had in the sleeve of my shirt and mumbled a few hastily exclaimed vowels. The sheer force of the magic emanating from the man was staggering. I reached out the Mayor and grabbed him just in time to stop myself from being bowled over from it. A few seconds later and I witnessed the curious sight of the lose threads on my sleeves slowly mending back together.

What kind of a person uses that... amount of power for a clothes mending spell?

"I'll be mingling for the next handful of minutes after which I'll be undergoing the Confirmation. Until then... I want you to focus on removing cloaking spell. Robert assures me a blood mage like yourself can unravel them and well... you don't need me to tell you what that man is like when he's proven _wrong_ about something."

Oh...

Oh god.

Is he being serious right now? I could barely get a reading on the spell let alone break the spells hold. This wasn't like upsetting the balance of a regular spell and watching it implode. This is more akin to crashing through the defenses on an ancient crafted artifact...

"Shouldn't you be getting started?"

Bastard.

I knew he was keeping me away from watching him capitalize on... whatever chaos I had sown throughout the night. I also found it fairly likely he's keeping Robert close around me to safeguard my scrawny self. Or... more likely stop me from destroying his lovely home.

That being said... none of it meant I had any other palatable options.

I mustered up a smile for the Mayor and headed back into the corridor. This time I ignored the wonderful works of art lining the walls and focused on the little carvings. The pattern snaked all across the wall and the only thing it reminded me off was bastardized hieroglyphics. I could see a shape that vaguely resembled a four footed animal, another one that looked like an unusually longheaded bird but the most interesting piece was a carving that gave off a sense of death. It didn't look like _anything _but it invoked the strangest feeling of bloodshed... but I just couldn't place it. The hum they all gave off was barely perceptible but fairly persistent. It reminded me of something but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I jerked my foci bracelet and directed the flow of the released magic towards my hands. There I kept it swirling around my fingers while allowing it to remain unformed. Slowly, ever so slowly, I withdrew my forced directions from the swirl of magic and watched as it only continued moving by virtue of inertia.

The swirl of magic was slowly winding down and just as it was about to collapse unto itself I moved my hands across the etchings on the wall. I could feel the unformed magic pooling into the runes and slowly seep into the enchantment. Where the enchantment had rebuffed my forceful poking earlier it seemed to make way for the slow infection of its spell structure with my magic.

The spell structure greedily sucking in the magic was the first sign of trouble I had. The next was the freight train that ran me over and threw me clear across the corridor. The feedback for such a horrendously misfired spell was painful.

No... that wasn't quite the right word.

Painful was when you broke a leg and had to hobble back to the road to get out of your nasty situation. Painful was being thrown around by a vampire with sadistic tendencies who you've spent the night antagonizing. Painful was taking over enough damage to incapacitate a Slayer.

This was something _more. _I felt it on a level regular pain just didn't reach me anymore. I routinely sliced myself open and welcomed the infusion of power, of strength. This was beyond me, far beyond my ability to control; I couldn't hope to rein the magic in.

I just had to ride it out. Wait out the magic coursing through my body.

I spent the next few minutes castigating myself; I basically gave the defenses on the enchantment a key to my magical layout. It handily turned the unformed magic into a Trojan that wouldn't set off any of _my _defenses. Once I finally got myself back under control I pushed myself off the floor and stalked back to the carvings.

If that trick failed... then I only had a single recourse left. The Mayor might have slipped up when he specifically mentioned that a blood mage could tear this spell apart. I was foolish in thinking no other magic user present at the Mayor's soirée couldn't have done what I tried... I had to play to my strengths.

I pulled out my keys from my trouser pocket and ran it across my index finger. The blood gushed out of it and I traced the squiggles on the wall with it. The moment just before I finished with the last rune I jerked my foci and rolled out a _Bank Safe. _I felt the rejuvenating magic kick in just as I completed tracing the final rune. The spiritual connection between the enchantment and me was complete but this time I welcomed the onslaught.

The intensely organized and pressurized magic spewed forth but I was prepared for it. The onslaught utterly wrecked my body but my trusty healing spell kept the damage to a minimum. Rends opened up all over my skin but were healed near instantly. I doubled open from a sharp pain that originated from my gut but even as I reached for it with my hands it receded.

The pattern repeated itself for long seconds before I finally felt the last spasm of the enchantment. The entire structure just collapsed onto itself and the corridor suddenly became a lot brighter. I half expected the artworks on the walls to have disappeared along with the cloaking spell but apparently the man did _actually _posses excellent taste.

Bastard.

I made my way back to the main hall, again, and was met by the sight of the entire audience being entranced by the Mayor's performance on a raised dais. The colorful crowd stared at the man as he gestured and spoke his greetings in a variety of languages. Absolutely none of them looked the walls.

The high ballroom walls that were decorated earlier by the network of growing and shifting red and green vines suddenly carried more... adornments. The vines had retreated away from certain areas and when a few seconds later those same spots opened up into shadowy holes. The tendrils out of the holes swayed lightly as if caught in a breeze but I couldn't quite focus on them.

Perhaps yet another cloaking spell?

"Before we get started my deeply honored and cherished guests; I would like to introduce someone very dear to me. You all must have heard about the various rumors that suddenly put Sunnydale on the map. One might even say that's why my party on this fine evening has been so gratuitously patronized. It's enough to make a man blush with joy and weep with insecurity!"

A loud laugh pierced the muttered comments of the crowds. Magnus Hainsley was apparently the only one with brass balls big enough to laugh out loud at the Mayor's weak joke. The tension in the room racked up and for perhaps the second time ever I could see Richard struggling to hold on this his temper. Veins bulged all across his forehead and when he caught my eyes with a glare I felt like the man sucker punched me in the guts.

Holy fuck.

He's _scary_ when he's pissed and I wasn't the only one who suddenly started exhibiting signs of fear.

"My newest member of my household stands proudly over in the doorway behind you! Tonight I have the honor of introducing the Apprentice of the Terror, the acclaimed magical Lord of Sunnydale, but he's best known as The Young Warlock and the Little Primal. Without further ado; meet Nicolas Blackwater."

All the gathered demons and people turned around as one. The sudden weight of their attention threw me for a loop but I couldn't help but dread what this meant. Somehow... somehow I knew the Mayor just threw me for the wolves.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 108: July 1st, 1997-M*

"My newest member of my household stands proudly over in the doorway behind you! Tonight I have the honor of introducing the Apprentice of the Terror, the acclaimed magical Lord of Sunnydale, but he's best known as The Young Warlock and the Little Primal. Without further ado; meet Nicolas Blackwater."

All eyes were on me as if they were expecting something. I clamped down on the sudden urge to just get out here and instead took a deep breath. Richard had just painted a giant fucking target on my back. In one fell swoop he spilled the beans on the Primal within me and the type of magics I would eschew as incompatible to me. That wasn't even the worst of it.

The fearful and mad uttering of a vampire landed me the title of magical Lord of Sunnydale and that could _never_ be good for me. I had visions of Rack trying to disabuse me of that notion, of being swarmed by the magical community of the little town atop the Hell Mouth, and the eager eyes of anyone who can rub two foci together and make it spark. I so did not have the time for that nonsense.

For now though... I needed to _not _disappoint my current audience. On second thought though... fuck them. Fuck all of them. I'm not here to kowtow to a bunch of demons. I'm certainly not here to conform to their expectations.

I smiled widely, pulled my Primal to the surface and let out the loudest roar I could manage. This was the first time I tried that while not in combat and I was surprised by the effectiveness of the roar. Unlike roaring in battle I had a clear view of how it impacted the audience. The vampires that worked for the Mayor, obviously fledglings in retrospect, retreated out of the room. The majority of humans who heard it starting mildly smelling of fear and the demons... had a mixed reaction.

A handful of them shuffled backwards, a few of slowly inched off the sides, but the majority were clapping. As if I had just entertained them... the bastards.

I calmly strode through the crowd and watched in pleasure as they parted to make way for me. Despite my readiness for anything really... not a single one of them tried to start anything with me. I reached the dais the Mayor stood atop without much ado and simply took up position next to the man. Wilkins grabbed me around the shoulders and pulled in close.

"Isn't he wonderful?"

The scattered applause died down and the Mayor casually regained control of his audience.

The man grinned dangerously and said, "To your left _and _your right you'll find that our Ester Vines have receded. In their place you'll see a vaguely menacing shadow. Don't worry; it's basically harmless. Unless you touch it of course... then you'll wish you were stuck in Quor'toth."

The crowd started muttering amongst themselves again and Richard took advantage of their distraction by snapping the final threads of his enchantment. The shadows slowly dripped away and made way for the mounted heads of a variety of demons. I saw a bunch I recognized, including a Kungai demon, and a whole bunch more I didn't. The most striking however were the lines and lines of human heads. I fervently hoped they were just a bunch of cultists but... I couldn't really be certain about that could I?

"Foolish creatures and silly humans alike have attempted to assault the Hell Mouth. Why they believe they'd be more successful _this _year is unclear to me but then again... not everyone has a healthy sense of self preservation. But... I don't need to teach _you _people that do I? Regardless; this brings us to the main event of the night!"

The Mayor snapped his fingers and my attention was instantly drawn to the heads lining the walls of the ballroom. Each and every one of them suddenly started moaning and screaming intensely. The sound was utterly deafening and that made picking out the actual words they screamed fairly difficult. It took a few seconds before I had gotten used to it enough to _do _grasp the words.

_"Sorry! Wilkins! Please! Wilkins! I beg of you! Wilkins! Please!"_

Oh...

God...

I couldn't be certain but I had a firm suspicion... The creatures and people stuck on the wall were trapped in their final moments. All of them were reliving or perhaps... re-dying their last moment alive when they broke and snapped. That final instance where they gave up and begged the Mayor for death...

They all begged for a death which he would not grant them.

Wilkins obvious savored the looks on the assorted crowds faces when he unveiled his 'artwork' but didn't let himself get side tracked by it. The man tightened his grip on me and whispered in my ear.

"That concludes your part of the evening. Go execute your offense tonight. Oh... and before I forget; go feed the Anointed One again. There's no point in wasting such a fine opportunity by laxness."

I warily nodded, gestured for Landokmar to follow me, and once again made my way through the crowd of demons. The moment I cleared the hall I made a break for it to the nearest bathroom. I tried to hang on as best I could but some things got under even my skin. I emptied out my stomach in the sink and held on to the wall for all I was worth because my knees were shaking and I started to shiver all over.

If I _ever _started to underestimate the Mayor... all I needed to do to get over that was remember this night. This was simply horrendous, perhaps I was a tad hypocritical, but I just couldn't get over it.

"Are you alright, my lord?"

I washed my face a few times and turned back to my Pylean.

"As well as I can be in the light of that... show."

Landokmar nodded and replied, "It was not very pleasant to survey, my lord."

Wasn't _that _just a terrific understatement?

The two of us made our way to the office we kept the Annoying One in. The kid was still scribbling down the answers he was wrangling from the miniature vampire. He was fairly started when I barged into the room with a green skinned demon on at my side but I didn't have any time to coddle the kid.

"**Have you asked him all the pertinent questions?"**

"Y-yes, I have! I'm just trying different angles... just to see if he's trying to hold back things."

Good boy.

I stalked past the boy after jerkily nodding at him to reach for the phone. I called my home-line and within seconds Andrew answered.

"Hello?"

"**Andrew. Gather up everyone and meet us at the library."**

"Okies bossman! I'm assuming this is to keep the _'Scooby's'_ from walking into our lines of fire?"

"**Yeah. It's probably easiest to send them to separate locations though."**

"Alrighty. See you there."

"**Good. We're leaving now." **I turned to the vampire and snapped off, "**You, come here and bite my arm."**

The creature darted across the room and sank his teeth straight into my lower arm. I rolled out a _Bank Safe _to mitigate the damage he was doing and once again felt that curious feeling. I was losing blood at about the same pace as I was regenerating it and it felt... tickly.

I supercharged the connection between us and once again fully dominated the blood demon.

"**Follow me quietly. Do not attack anyone. Do not speak to anyone but myself."**

I jiggled my foci bracelet and hijacked the magic that regulated Marcie's glamour. I didn't just make her visible but instead I extended my senses and tracked the girl's whereabouts through our own connection.

"I'm here bossman!"

The girl had reasserted control over my spell and because visible inches off to my right. She came a little closer and handed me a note. I unfolded the tiny piece of paper and read the screwy handwriting of Robert.

"_I gave your pet a book about Primals. Read it and then confirm it with the First Slayer. The implications are... staggering. If I read the Mayor correctly... he wants you around after he sheds his humanity. You're to be his eternal and immortal attack dog... "_

Oh for fucks sake.

Why can't he just be run of the mill evil?

"**Alright. It's time to go."**

She simply nodded and popped out of existence again. Our entire group headed out the main entrance where a servant called ahead to have a limo waiting for us. We didn't waste so much as a second and all piled into the car.

"**Where do you live?"**

The kid told us his address and within fifteen minutes we had dropped him off after making sure the hostage keeping vampires were actually gone. He tried to thank us but I simply waved the kid off.

"**Don't get involved with vampires."**

"Yeah... I think I got the message."

We all streamed back into the limo and quietly enjoyed the trick the school library. I was intensely curious about what Marcie found out but it could wait. Keeping a secret from the Mayor in Sunnydale seemed like a fool's errand but we certainly didn't have to make it _easier _for him. We reached the library a little while later and found Liam locked into battle with Buffy.

The Slayer had obviously improved over the past few days and Liam seemed to genuinely have issues keeping the girl from pinning him down.

"Hello Slayerette's."

Buffy turned to me first, "Hey Nick! Nice suit, it uhh... suits you!"

Ok...

"Thanks! So... can I borrow you knife for a second?"

The girl frowned but did hand over her sharp implement without a second thought.

"Good, now I need to cut you up a little."

Hey eyes widened comically and she yelped out, "What!"

"No worries, Buffy. I just need to speak the First Slayer again."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 109: July 1st, 1997-N*

"Again I say... what?!"

Oh... I didn't tell her did it?

"Whoops. Uhh... I thought I explained it when Giles, I and you discussed the vision about the First Slayer?"

The blond girl huffed and exclaimed, "No! And you're still not making any sense!"

I let a slow grin appear when I replied, "The First Slayer is in each and every subsequent Slayer. When I first tried to heal you, and afterwards when I negotiated your return, I was transported to a spirit realm where she kind of... lives."

Her startled expression was wonderful.

I quickly glanced over to Xander, Liam and Willow. Each of them was locked into a state of confusion. This was the first time I'd seen Liam since the vampire stayed behind in Robert's locker after the tense negotiations. Since that afternoon I slowly drifted into the conclusion that I'd have to find a Mohra demon for him soon. If the dangerous vampire didn't want to be firmly planted in my camp... I'd rather send him off packing as a human.

My gaze drifted back to Buffy and I noticed something incredibly interesting. Around her neck hung a necklace that was adorned by a cross... and two vampire fangs. Did I have such an impact on the girl? Is this a sign for her improved viciousness... then all I can say is; well fucking done. A scary Slayer in Sunnydale is going to make _everything _so much easier.

Her reply finally kicked me out of my reverie, "That's... kind of a big deal to just casually mention, Nick!"

"Sorry."

The Slayer's eyes narrowed when she continued, "You know... you're making it very hard to like you."

I widely smiled and replied, "And in turn, Buffy, you're growing on me. I like your fangs by the way."

Her scrunched up expression turned less sour when she said, "Thanks. I went back to the cave... you know... for closure."

"Did you find it?"

"Kind of I guess."

The girl was about to reply when Marcie and Landokmar walked into the library. Landokmar had insisted on tying up the vampire despite my own assurance that it wasn't necessary. While I wasn't sure such a precaution was necessary I was impressed by Lando's improved assertiveness. To that effect I simply nodded to the Pylean and let him have his way. Marcie stayed behind just to keep on eye both demons.

The invisible girl had simply never truly warmed to the demon.

Giles finally showed his face when he came out and said, "Nicolas... perhaps you could explain why you brought a vampire here?"

Marcie snarled in reply, "Nick spelled him. We're going to use him to blow up all the other vampires."

Giles was mildly taking aback at the malice in her words and I was tempted to wave the girl down. I didn't want to just confirm we knew about Giles' meddling though so I simply waited it out. Hopefully my Marcie wouldn't fly off the handle again.

"Ah, I see. How will you be getting them all together?"

I cleared my throat when Marcie inhaled to answer again and thankfully she caught the message. I turned to Giles, smiled a lazy grin, and replied.

"He's already ordered Drusilla to gather his lieutenants up in a warehouse nearby. If everything goes as planned; Jonathan will have already cast a spell over the area while he's on his way here."

I didn't let the man speak up and continued, "After which we'll send the little bugger off with rows and rows of grenades under his clothes. He'll pull the strings connecting them after he makes his vamps... lean in to hear his grand plans."

Having said my piece I walked up to Buffy and asked her if she was ready.

She hesitantly raised her arm towards me, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I chuckled light, carved a small incision on her arm, and jabbed my finger in it. This time I didn't bother slowly infusing her and just supercharged my draining spell. I immediately felt the knot and simply fought my way through it.

The moment I felt the metaphysical dam give was the world _shifted. _Once again I found myself transported to that rocky desert. The air was just below scorching temperature and the sun was so fucking bright I couldn't stand looking up. Instead I glance around expecting to find Sineya creepily staring at me.

I look down and notice that this time I didn't appear to be naked. Instead of my suit however I wore my combat outfit. My leather duster over a leather pair of heavily worn pants... every inch reinforced with hardening spells to dampen any blunt impact. My foci and other assorted magical jewelry hung in all their right places as well.

Was this simply a sign of trust?

Or has how I look at myself changed so very much?

I cast my senses as far as I could and was almost immediately rewarded by the sound of faint scraping. I turned to the direction of the sound and saw Sineya move out of the bushes. The girl looked faintly amused and I didn't catch any whiff of residual resentment for my earlier encroachment on her turf.

I pulled up my Primal to surface and growled out, "**You were right.**"

Sineya quirked her head and replied, "Of course I was." She continued a heartbeat or two later, "What was I right about?"

I chuckled lightly and said, "**The Shadow Men are not to be trusted. One of them tried to ensnare my mind to his wishes.**"

The First Slayer dashed across the distance between us and came to halt inches in front of me. She sniffed in deep and started chuckling with me.

She grabbed me by the arm and said, "They will _always _remain the same. It is their folly. Did you suffer much?"

I shook my head and softy replied, "**It was bearable. Thank you for asking.**"

Sineya smiled and her attention seemed be pulled towards my neck. I looked down and saw that the necklace bearing the fangs was rather exposed. The girl grabbed it and started playing with the vampire teeth. Her smile brightened significantly a moment later and I could tell she understood what they were. She withdrew her bone sword and presented it to me.

She adopted a teasing tone and said, "I too have a trophy of my kills. I'd venture mine is more useful though..."

Was she actually teasing me? Isn't this quite the turnabout from our last encounter? At least this time I wasn't sprawled naked across some _very _uncomfortable rocks and incredibly hot sand.

"**True, but mine warn me of nearby vampires.**"

She then actually scoffed and said, "So does my hearing."

I glared at the girl but couldn't quite keep it up and just starting laughing. My amusement was apparently infectious because Sineya was right there with me. It was a few moments later when I stopped laughing and caught her gaze.

"**I have a few questions for you, Sineya."**

"Speak; and I shall answer them."

I nodded and continued, "**What can you tell me of Primals?**"

The girl adopted a thoughtful expression and seemed to think things over for a while. She spent the next few minutes lost in thought and all I could do was wait it out. I had less than zero inclination to piss the super powered spirit off.

"They were wild, cruel and rapacious. That was the only thing they all had in common. Most of them were arrogant and far too certain of their strength. Those died easily."

The girl took in a deep breath and finally let go of the fangs but firmly kept her grasp on my arm.

"Others were more cunning and slipped around the edges. They scavenged souls and only took those who wouldn't be missed. They flared up briefly and departed their hosts rapidly after using them _up. _Those were harder to kill."

She calmly fixed me with a stare and continued, "A small number of them were intelligent on top of that. Those... assimilated, I like that word, with their hosts and gained the ability to plan. They took control of entire tribes and promised them protection. In return they were worshipped. Those were difficult to kill."

She stepped a little closer and spoke a little softer, "An even fewer number amongst them, entirely comprised of pack animals, were able to thrive in those conditions. These could plan for the future, cease their predations on their worshippers, and direct their cruelty to the world outside of their packs."

She got even closer and continued, "All of them died in the end. At least; I thought I caught all of them. I can feel the Primal who has taken up residence inside your soul, little pack predator. I can't tell which one... its presence is muted even beyond the strongest of those of I met."

I cleared my throat and replied, "**It's the Hyena Spirit. I killed it and **_**subsumed **_**its strengths for myself."**

She nodded slowly and kept her intense gaze, "Good. I never managed to shake off my shackles. Keep my... descendants safe?"

I nodded and gave the First Slayer my word.

"**Tell me about yourself, Sineya. I know far too little about you."**

Sineya quirked her head again and smiled lightly, "What is there to tell? I lived and loved. _They_ took that from me. After that I survived and killed."

I was struck by the immeasurable sadness emanating from the girl. She obviously carried enough humanity within her to appreciate what she lost. I didn't quite know how to respond.

I decided to mirror her response, "**I'm sorry."**

The girl smiled once again and started her story.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 110: Interlude - Liam of Galway-A*

The most infuriating boy I know just passed out from doing _something _to Buffy. I'm still of half a heart on this particular subject. I can't truly say I trust him; he has spent far too much energy hiding his over goals for me to blindly extend that. Just as I can't claim I trust him... I can't rightly claim he's a bad person. Perhaps I'm not giving him enough credit but I can't quite shake the feeling there's something _off _about him.

"Liam? I'd like to speak to you alone please."

The curiously intense and occasionally invisible girl simply grabbed me the arm and pulled me out of the library. I let the girl do that and followed to wherever she wanted to take me. On our way through the library though I heard her hiss at the Pylean demon;

"_You keep an eye out on Nick, demon."_

Ah, trouble in paradise?

The two of us ended up a fair distance away from the school's library when she jerked her hand loose and disappeared from my senses. I turned around trying to scent out her smell but only found the faintest of traces. A split second later and she appeared in front of me with a stake tightly pressed over my heart.

"Did you know _demon_?"

What?

Why is she suddenly so aggressive? I'm fairly certain I could twist out of the way and grab her stake without dying but I just couldn't be _sure. _Instead I'd have to try talking her down and experience taught me that keeping young girls appeased is... difficult in the best of circumstances.

"What do you mean, Marcie?"

She pressed the stake a fraction harder and said, "Did you know what your precious _Rupert _has done to Nick?"

What could have possibly occurred between those two?

"I have _no _idea what you're talking about, Marcie. Perhaps you could explain? Perhaps even without a stake to my chest?"

Marcie slowly withdrew her stake after taking a moment to judge me. Apparently I passed and I could finally, pretend to, breathe a sigh of relief.

"_Rupert _threw a mind control spell over Nick. Ever since about a month ago these changes made Nick stop exploring magic. Instead... his energies were channeled towards _politics."_

My mind came to a complete stop. Did Rupert truly do this? Did he wrap Nicolas' mind into a geas? Why? What could he possibly benefit from alienating Nick?

Good god...

And now Nick finds himself stuck with the consequences? I needed more information.

Nick hasn't responded...

His group is apparently willing to sit on this _gross _invasion and I needed to know if they were planning a major act of revenge. Not just to keep Giles safe but to keep the relations from critically imploding. Sunnydale faced a united army of vampires of unprecedented numbers... we could _not _afford any breaches now.

"Why hasn't Nick _done _anything? Why hasn't he told me?"

The girl actually scoffed at me and replied, "When were you around? You've been dicking around with your precious Slayer so much you forgot about us. What was so wrong with us that made being around us so fucking unbearable Liam?"

I wanted to refute the girl but I couldn't find any words.

Marcie glared at me and said, "Nick hasn't told anyone because he doesn't want to start up trouble right before our biggest fight ever. Trust me though, _demon, _that when this is all over... we'll be having words with the man."

Her mood was all over the place. One moment she spoke my name in a broken voice and in another she furiously flung my nature into my face. Did I really have this much of an impact on them? Have I so very grossly miscalculated?

I thought I was slowly pulling back from Nick and his circle of broken toys because I felt myself slipping into it. I was _upset _at how easily the boy had...

No, that wasn't fair. It wasn't _easy_. I didn't truly believe he planned all our interactions from the start. He simply did his best for _his _people and I wasn't comfortable being one of them. Despite how alluring his words and actions were. Despite the obvious ties of affection his group has amongst themselves. I wasn't quite ready to be so thoroughly included.

Perhaps I should reconsider.

"I understand. What now?"

Marcie got a dangerous expression on her face when she replied, "Now... now you make a choice, Liam. You take some time to figure out the truth and you make a choice. This... this vacillating between Buffy and Nick has to end. We need to know who we can trust Liam. If you don't want to be a part of that we can deal."

I slowly nodded, decided against asking the obvious question, and asked her, "But you'd like to know for certain?"

Her frightening grin never left her face, "Yes. We'll continue working with them regardless but we won't be _close. _Other than big offenses like those planned for tonight... we wouldn't even know we're in the same town as the Slayer."

I frowned and replied, "Why are you including Buffy into this? She and Nick seem to get along reasonably."

The girl scoffed again and bit out, "He saved her life and incurred a _debt. _Not to Buffy, but _for _her, to the First Slayer. She should feel more strongly about him but she _doesn't. _We doubt she'd pick Nick over her Watcher even if she knew what he did."

There was a flaw in that reasoning but I was too distracted to reach for it. I made a mental note to go over this at a less chaotic time. Right now I needed to try and defuse the situation.

"I didn't mean to withdraw from you all, Marcie. It just... I had my own issues to deal with."

The girl cocked her head sideways and said, "Who doesn't? At least _we _deal with it together. We'll want a reply sometime soon. Think it over."

Marcie confidently turned and strode back towards the library. I followed her after a few seconds and when we returned Nick was already up and talking animatedly to Xander. His friends, Jonathan and Andrew had appeared on the scene as well. Mica and Lib came in just after I did and carried a large case in between them. I guessed that Fred and Kar were supposed to hold the fort and weren't present.

_"_So when can I start?"

The boy's ever present grin acquired a rough edge, "How about tomorrow? Fred can show you the ropes and after a few hours... you should be ready."

"Sure! So... I heard you bought some property. I guess killing vampires isn't like crime huh?"

Buffy mildly glared at Nick and made her way over to me.

The Slayer leaned in and whispered to me, "They're quite the touchy feely types aren't they?"

She was absolutely correct and it was something I had noticed myself. His entire group seems to circle around Nick at all times. Jonathan seemingly goes out his way to walk past the young warlock just to touch him. Andrew glances over to Nick every few seconds and seems to be unsuccessfully fighting the urge to do the same.

Marcie on the other hand simply never ventures very far from the boy. She's in near constant reach of him and now the girl slid down next to Nick while leaning against his chair. Mica and Lib clearly weren't quite _as _close with him as the others but even they orbited the boy.

Suddenly Nick turned to Rupert and asked, "Giles. I need the hammer, please"

Curt.

Polite.

His words were utterly lacking in any warmth whatsoever.

Even if they were mistaken and Rupert _didn't _do what they accused him of... each and every one of them believed it and acted accordingly. None of them seemed to engage Rupert beyond the absolutely minimum.

Usually Nick would make some small talk with the man before veering the conversation to a piece of history or demonology he enjoyed. After that... he'd sit back and listen to Rupert's dubbed _lecture mode_. Jonathan would do the same when Giles start speaking about magic and Andrew positively soaked up every mention Rupert made of humanities early days.

None of them drifted towards the man.

I leaned in towards Buffy and said, "That's not a bad thing, Buffy."

"I know, Angel. It's just... do you sometimes get the feeling Nick and I are living... I don't know parallel lives?"

This was unusual. Buffy wasn't normally this introspective and I wondered what set her off.

"What do you mean?"

"You know... we're both like he said 'drafted' into the war against the dark. We both have a few friends helping us. We both have an old man breathing down our necks to get _better._ We're kind of similar._"_

What was she driving towards?

"And?"

Buffy leant in even closer and whispered softly, "I'm not even sure I should be saying this... but Nick's friends are... more useful. I hate myself for even thinking about it... "

She trailed off and I resisted the urge to reach out and comfort her.

"It's alright to feel whatever it is you're feeling Buffy." I distinctly didn't mention that was a nugget from Nick and continued, "He's more actively involved with them... to the point where they don't really have social lives. It's not healthy but objectively... yes his friends are good enough to keep up with him. I imagine he feels a bit safer then you do but you were right before; you _are _like Nick. In a good way... "

I awkwardly trailed off. Way to go L- Angel.

The blond Slayer pinned me with a glare and said, "Then why does everyone think _he's_ so dangerous if we actually are similar? I mean... I'm the _Slayer _and _vampires_ don't run from me. Meanwhile he sets foot outside after dark and _everything _gets out of his way."

Oh.

Is it happening already? Is Buffy going on the same path as Nicolas? I want to stop her; to tell her she shouldn't _want _to be feared, but I can't convince myself that would be a good idea. Nick does have some rough edges and Buffy does have some soft ones. The world would be a safer place if they could find a middle ground between themselves...

If I can get the two talking, really talking, they'd be good for each other. Strictly as friends of course...

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	12. Chapter 12

*Chapter 111: Interlude - Liam of Galway-B*

"Do you really want to know, Buffy?"

Buffy gave me a curious look and said, "Yeah, I can see it being helpful."

I nodded, sighed, and finally replied, "Fear works on two levels. One is very simple and easily... attainable by everyone. It stems from the power imbalance between two or more individuals. The more powerful individual can intimate by sheer virtue of their strength."

I stayed quiet for a moment to see whether she'd grasp what I meant. She adopted a thoughtful pose before turning towards and bit out, "And that's what I've been doing... "

Once again I nodded and continued, "Yes. You're the Slayer. There is an already established narrative that _everyone _you'll face is aware of. They know that the Slayer always comes out swinging. As long as all you do is simply... killing everything you meet your reputation will never increase."

Buffy frowned, looked incredibly adorable, and asked, "That doesn't make sense. If they know I'm strong and kill every demon I meet... why wouldn't they be afraid?"

"They will be afraid. It just wouldn't stop them from acting on their desires."

"Huh?"

"Slayers kill demons, Buffy. That's what they do. It's... lets just call it an occupational hazard for demons. They all know about Slayer and they all know that someday you might come knocking. They also know that Slayers... "

I trailed off for a moment but Buffy immediately interjected, "They know Slayers die. You can say it, Angel."

I sighed and replied, "Yes. They know Slayers die and thus... they stand a chance."

"Ok. Fine; I can't get them to fear me by just being the Slayer. What is Nick doing differently?"

I smiled indulgently at the girl and said, "That brings us to the second level of fear. That's the type of fear that comes from the uncertain, from unpredictability. It's the reason why people _always _fear crazy folks despite what the current social atmosphere might try to tell you. Crazy people are scary."

"But he doesn't behave as if he's insane... does he?"

I smiled a little wider and continued, "Doesn't he? He doesn't behave a human should in the face of demons. He doesn't cower, he doesn't run and he's obviously not afraid of them. It's a conundrum that the demons have to solve _before _they even get it into their heads to fight him. Once they get past that... he employs a response that's equal parts cruel and unexpected."

"Oh. You mean when he cut up the vampire? I just thought that was a little overboard but... he _was _trying to kill us."

"I doubt Nick cared about that. The point is that he keeps the demons off balance by matching and outperforming them in the cruelty department. He doesn't see them as deserving to live... which means he feels nothing when he heinously tortures them."

Neither did I for the longest time. It was why entire continents feared me in days past. I was as murderous as any other vampire but I had a drive they lacked. I had a willingness to go beyond even what vampires accepted and simply pushed through. Eventually... everyone just started talking about me.

The blond girl looked down and softly said, "I'm not sure how to feel about that."

I wanted to comfort her but this was a valuable lesson that _would _keep her and her friends safer.

Instead I just continued, "So the demons are faced with a mortal who clearly doesn't fear them. Who obviously has a bigger predator inside of him then the demons he fights. He's a mortal who is unpredictable in his retaliation. All of this leads to the demons first being wary... and secondly dead or running away from him. Sooner or later... most of the demons that meet him would have _run _away and _they _need to justify that to others."

Buffy jerked her head upwards towards and I couldn't help but note her startled expression. She obviously made a conclusion. I just needed to see if it was the correct one.

The girl furiously whispered, "Are you telling me he's _feared _because of demon's _gossiping _with each other?"

Nick suddenly dashed over with a wide and utterly smug smile on his face.

"Liam forgot to mention the theatric, body language and social-fu aspects."

Buffy turned towards Nick and crossed her arms before replying, "The what now?"

Nick quirked his head sideways when he said, "You know... social-fu, it's when you use your words as weapons."

I decided to let the two of them work this out and stayed quiet. This had nothing to do with my own interest in his words. None whatsoever...

"You're going to have to explain that, Nick!"

"Ok; from the start. Theatrics amplify your... let's call it presence. Lately I've been staring at vampires while Marcie, who invisibly stalked up them, dusted them. I didn't say a word and just smiled while looking at the net vampire. What do you think they feel about that?"

Nick was taking this seriously and that gave me some hope for their future cooperation. On the other hand... Nick was taking this seriously. What was his game... his angle? Did he just pick up on Buffy's stated desires to be feared? Does he see that as a good thing?

Why do questions follow him around...

"Uhh, confused?"

"Yup. Suddenly... I'm not even a mage anymore. Suddenly I'm the scary guy who glares vampires to death."

Ah.

That explains that rumor. In retrospect it was glaringly obvious but it must have somehow just slipped me.

"Oh. That makes sense. What about the social thingamajig?"

Nick stepped forward and came to a stop mere inches from Buffy. The girl reacted by slightly moving back and inconspicuously raising her arms.

"That ties in with body language. I just invaded your privacy and _made _you retreat."

"What! I was just a little startled!"

The infuriating boy snorted and responded, "Nah. You're just a scared little girl. It's alright, Buffy, you're lucky Liam sniffs around you so often. Now you have a big strong man to protect you!"

I slowly stepped backwards and out of the likely zone of danger. I trusted that Nick knew was he was doing, and despite the necessity of this particular lesson, I hoped he didn't push Buffy too far.

Buffy was seething and faintly flushed with color, "What did you just say?"

The contempt dripped off his every word when he blatantly continued, "Come on, Summers. Do you really think _you _could ever scare a demon? At best you're their butcher for a short time. Until something comes along to you remind you of your _place _girly."

That apparently did it and Buffy unleashed a quick one-two jab at Nick. The boy niftily dodged out of the way and ducked below her follow up kick. Suddenly he started cackling like a deranged lunatic and cleared half the room with a single bound. Buffy followed him but the boy simply waited till she got close and jumped back towards me.

He turned back at the enraged Slayer and raised his hands in surrender.

"Yeah. That was social-fu."

"You mean pissing me off? You know I'm stronger then you are right?"

Once again the boy scoffed but this time it held a little edge, "That's not the point. I just used my words and positioning to _make _you dance to my tune. Your words are just another weapon Buffy. Don't you quip your little one liner's at demons?"

Buffy adopted a sickly sweet expression and said, "It is the point and yes I do. You see... I think you don't like being weaker than I am, Nicky boy."

"Oh?"

"I think you fancy yourself a budget Slayer, Nicky boy. How does it feel coming up short?"

Nick exploded into giggles and replied, "Good. You're getting the gist of it. Social-fu is pointless though if you don't _know _someone's weak points. In your case... you've mistakenly attributed jealousy to me. Would you like to try again?"

Buffy simply frowned at him and scoffed in return.

"What makes you think you know me?"

"Uhm... I kinda made you lose your shit in less than a minute. I'm sure Xander could do a _much _better job."

The gathered white-hat's had all been paying attention to the little impromptu lesson Nicolas was delivering. Up until know they were content to stay in the background but now Nick mentioned Xander, and wasn't that a surprise, they started getting involved.

Willow started off with, "Xander wouldn't do that!"

Xander continued along that vein, "Yea! What Wills said!"

Nick simply tutted and turned towards Xander, "Would you feel such hesitation against demons? Against people actively trying to hurt your friends and family?"

"Well, no, but-."

"That's the point Xander. I think you'd be great at that. It's not just because you're witty... you're perceptive, in a few areas at least, enough to make your digs _hurt _if you really wanted to."

Buffy finally chimed in, "And you think he's better than you at it... because?"

Another wide grin graced the boy's face, "Xander cares about people... pretty much all people in fact. You have to care a little to truly understand someone. Once you do understand someone well enough... the damage you can do them is _staggering._"

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 112: Interlude - Liam of Galway-C*

After a handful of heartfelt sounding apologies Buffy let go of her residual anger and threw herself into training. She wanted to go a few rounds with Nick but he deferred and said he needed to talk to me. I doubted he'd address the glaring elephant in the room but perhaps he wanted to discuss his taking up the Champion mantle.

"I'm sure Andrew mentioned this before but I have officially accepted being the Powers' chew toy."

I understood his reasoning for looking at things from that perspective. Unlike me... the Powers didn't approach him with an offer. They didn't give him a cause he could believe in. In that case... is it any wonder he doesn't appreciate their 'meddling'?

"I heard, yes."

He nodded, looked vaguely upset, and continued, "They threatened me, Liam. They threatened me so thoroughly I had no recourse."

Oh.

I had to admit that Whistler was a shady character. I knew that the moment I met him but he didn't strike me as malicious.

"What did they do?"

The somber boy looked up at me and for an instant I could swear I saw his eyes light up yellow. It dimmed almost immediately but I could hear the faintest echo of growling emanating from him.

"They threatened my family with an incurable and untraceable... let's call it mental degradation. Once I accepted their terms... they switched it to me."

I... I didn't even know how to process this. Why did the Powers want Nicolas so desperately? Putting aside modest I could I see why they wanted me. I'm a unique vampire with a soul and all that rot. What was so compelling about Nick that they _must _have it?

Because I sincerely doubt this is standard way of dealing with Champions.

"It's not a danger to you?"

"Not at all. I just wanted to let you know that you're officially off the hook. You can turn human and they won't conspire you turn you back."

What.

Was that a risk? I can't quite tell what the boy truly believes matches up with reality. My best guess is that he intensely dislikes the lack of the control over his life. I... don't think the Powers _wouldn't _do what he claims they did but it's strange. Other camps must take note of this and try to take advantage...

Is that what they have in mind?

Use Nicolas as a lightning rod and let all their enemies come out of the woodworks to attempt to suborn him?

"I'll keep that in mind. Have you... have you been approached by any people who know you're the Champion?"

The boy frowned a little and replied, "No. I'm sure that'll follow though. Wolfram &amp; Hart can't resist messing with their oppositions Champion's."

Oh lord.

"You have to promise me you won't deal with them, Nicolas. I know I haven't been supportive in your endeavors with the Mayor but he does not operate on the same level as they do. Trust me when I say that there is _no _negotiating with them. They just take what they want!"

Nicolas lightly chuckled and my heart, or at least what passed for it, froze. Please, please tell me you're taking this seriously.

"I know quite well what they are like and I've _already _crossed paths with them."

I crossed the distance between us to grab the boy and shake some sense into him. I got my hands on his shoulders when I felt the stake lightly pressing on my chest. The look in eyes spelled death and once again I got the briefest flash yellow light in his eyes.

"**They ruled the Hell Dimension I was thrown in. I deliberately screwed over the system they used to control their **_**human slaves**_**. Let's stop pretending they aren't aware of me and that **_**avoiding **_**them will do any good."**

I slowly inched back and considered his words. They simply reeked of arrogance but there was a kernel of truth. If they were already aware of him all he could do was try to not antagonize them. I... I think he has that covered. What was a little more upsetting was that this was the second time tonight one of Nick's 'pack' threatened me with death.

More than anything this drove home the chasm that has erupted between us. I should have seen this coming. I _knew _what happened to vampires who danced from court to court and I... I really haven't been any better. Even with that realization I didn't _want _to pick a side.

I didn't want there to _be _any sides.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Nick. It's just... be careful."

The anger drained from the boy, he simply nodded, and walked back off to his people. Marcie drifted back to Nick and this time just draped herself against his knees. He didn't even seem to take note of that odd behavior beyond absentmindedly running his hands through her hair. Rupert had inched closer to us during our little conversation and apparently felt it was his business.

I still hadn't given his situation much thought and I knew that couldn't last. Buffy herself told me she knew Giles equally as long as she knew Nick but there's no doubt in my mind she'd pick Giles. Even if she finds out about the alleged mind altering...

That, more than anything else, would push Nick's group even further from them. I doubted they were interested in excuses and would simply proceed to cut ties. Even in that case there would still be a _chance _the groups could drift back together. As long as Nick didn't go overboard in his retribution against Giles I'm sure Buffy would turn a blind eye to it.

In that case...

Perhaps if tempers cooled they'd work things out?

What was the procedure anyways for acquiring a new Watcher?

Giles cleared his throat and said, "It appears Nicolas has put some considerable thought into his persona. I can only say I'm relieved it's affected."

I raised my eyebrow and replied, "What makes you think it's affected?"

Rupert looked vaguely stumped before he continued, "The way he explain it. He actively searches out which buttons to push to unsettle the... demons."

"What about the part where he alluding to not caring about people?"

Giles froze like a deer caught in the headlines and I turned my attention back to the rest of the group while he gathered his wits. Andrew and Willow were furiously discussing the former's lack of participation in the culling of vampires over the past few days.

"_What do you mean we haven't been contributing?"_

_"I mean... not that you've been wasting your time... uhh I just meant that you all haven't been out with us... you know... with the killing of vampires."_

Andrew snorted vaguely contemptuously and replied, "_That's because we've been working on the root of the issue Willow."_

_"What do you mean the root of the issues?"_

_"What do you know about embalming, Willow?"_

The redhead then continued rattling off the truly impressive of amount of details she somehow soaked up somewhere and Andrew cut her off before she got lost in her ramblings.

"_And what does that tell you?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Normal embalming destroys large parts of the human body. Enough parts to stop someone from becoming a vampire... and yet we see them rising from their graves all the fucking time. What does that tell you?"_

Willow gasped and quickly came to conclusion Andrew was leading her to.

"_You mean that_ _the undertakers and morgues... have been colluding with vampires?!"_

_"Precisely. We made them stop. Sure... the smarter vampires will still find a way to turn new fledglings but the vast majority of sloppy kills won't result in any new baby vamps. They'd have to actually spend effort to increase their numbers instead of relying on the system."_

_"But... but why? Why would they do that? Don't know they know that vampires are... you know... bad?"_

_"The usual reasons, Wilow. It's because of a nifty combination of money and threats."_

Giles finally returned to his senses and said, "He certainly is cold blooded but I don't believe he doesn't care. Look at the way he treats his friends. He positively adores them!"

I fixed Rupert with a look and replied, "Indeed. Now... how does he feel about the rest of the world?"

"I... I couldn't rightly say."

"I can. He told me once that his visions were the only reason he goes out to save people. At the time I didn't quite grasp it. A few weeks later though and I understood it perfectly once we spoke again."

"Oh?"

"He doesn't care, Giles. He just wants the suffering to stop. Every time he gets a vision he feels the pain and fear of the would-be-victims. He doesn't want to feel that so... he goes out and stops it."

Maybe a little harsh... but essentially true; now let's see if Giles bites and shows me what he _actually _thinks of Nicolas.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 113: Interlude - Liam of Galway-D*

"Oh dear. I can't say it comes as a great shock, Angel, duty as all encompassing as theirs is difficult to bear." The Watcher breathed in deeply and continued, "Buffy still doesn't _really _want to be the Slayer. I'm sure both of them will come to grips with it soon."

The librarian seemed sincere in his wish for both youngsters to accept their destinies. I simply nodded at the man and watched Buffy's impromptu fight with Landokmar. The Pylean was an excellent swordsman but Buffy had been training obsessively with me over the past few days. Her innate Slayer abilities were to be the tipping point in their admittedly fairly balanced spar. My guess was proven correct when a few moments later Buffy had Landokmar on his back.

I looked around the library and I was forced to admit that there was an undercurrent of tension in room. I chalked it mostly up to the upcoming fight but I couldn't ignore the divisions in the room. Nick and his Pack drifted off into a corner and parked themselves against the wall. I couldn't quite catch their words so I assumed one of their mages cast a spell.

Over in the other corner Xander and Willow were hissing at each other.

"_There's something about him, Willow, you have to admit it."_

_"I guess... I never really knew him."_

Xander sighed and said, _"I don't really know him either. Don't you think it's weird? We've had classes together since elementary school. Why don't we know him?"_

_"But! I know his name and that he likes... uhh... something."_

_"Something?"_

_"I... this is weird. Did we really treat him like Marcie, Xander?"_

_"Maybe? I don't know."_

The redhead was quiet for a moment before she forcefully nodded and said, "_We have to watch him. I'm sure we'll figure it out."_

_"If anyone could... "_

Whatever that was about didn't really concern me. If they suddenly felt guilty for ignoring Jonathan... well this wasn't the time to get into it. Nick and his people erupted from their huddle and headed towards me.

Andrew carried a harness of sorts and handed it over to me, "Liam. We need you to put these on the little vampire."

"Are you sure?"

"We can't have him smelling like any of us. Its bad enough he still reeks of blood. I don't think any of them know the smell of Nick's blood but they _might _take that as a sign he just fed."

"You're being cautious. That's good but trust me... they won't bother using their nose. He smells of power and it'll overpower anything else to a vampire."

Andrew adopted a curious expression before nodded and walking over the Anointed One himself. A few minutes of poking and prodding later and the boy had him secured in the harness. Jonathan floated over a dark cloak and Nick ordered the vampire to keep the string of grenades hidden. After that the predatory boy smirked at us and exclaimed he needed to speak to Giles.

He wasn't going to confront him here was he?

"What can I do for you, Nicolas?"

Nick's smirk was ever present when he replied, "Well, Giles, I have a present for the Council." The infuriating boy reached into his jacket and pulled out a smallish box. He fiddled with the combination for a few moments and once the box yielded its opening pulled out a vial.

"This... this is a custom built drug... estimated value of four and a half million."

The liquid in the vial was vibrant green but beyond that I couldn't say anything about it. I suspected I didn't need to. Nick was bound to come up with some outlandish but likely true story.

"Ah. What is it?"

"It's a poison, Giles, and it was specifically designed for Slayers."

Dead silence.

The entire library, and myself included, fell quiet. I saw the relish the boy was taking in our suspenseful waiting and I decided I didn't like it. You can only play the same tunes so many times before the record scratches.

I caught the boy's gaze and said, "Can we skip this bit, Nick? Just tell us the rest."

In response Nick _actually _pouted and replied, "Fine. It's a drug that kills Slayers. Once it does that... it revives them. Seemed like a fairly useful drug to have for the Council."

Buffy was the first to exclaim, "Sorry. I must have misheard you."

"Uhm. Well-."

The Slayer interrupted him and continued, "Because I could swear I heard you say you made a drug that kills Slayers. You wouldn't do that would you... Nick?"

"And it revives them. That seems like an important thing to keep in mind, Buffy."

Giles chimed in, "This is extremely ill conceived, Nicolas! Don't you think this has been tried before?"

The boy turned to Giles and asked in the sweetest of tones, "Medicine has come a long way, Giles. Knowing that the First Slayer is willing to _play ball _with me, so to speak, means there's even less of a risk. Compared to the barbaric practices the Council was willing to experiment with... "

Buffy didn't let "What do you mean, Nick?"

"The experiments?"

"What? No... even though I _do _want to know more about that. What do you mean the First Slayer wants to deal with you?"

That infuriating grin appeared once again, "Ah, yeah. Sineya seems to like me. We bonded over how much we hate demons. She likes the fangs around your neck as well by the way."

Endless surprises. I didn't react outwardly, I wasn't going to give him _that _satisfaction, but I did reel from the news. Did this mean the Slayer Spirit was influencing Buffy? Was this introspective Buffy the result of _yet _another brush with the First Slayer by Nick?

Why do all these questions follow the boy around?

While Buffy was stupefied Giles interjected, "Still, I do not believe giving this to the Council in its current... political climate would be wise. These ideas pop up from time to time and they've never ended well."

Nicolas was about to answer when Giles simply continued, "I know you said medicine has improved, I know it has, but that's _always _the justification. The fact that Buffy has survived her brush with death would be the catalyst for a whole new batch of testing!"

"Why is that a bad thing?"

"What? How can you-."

This time Nick took it upon himself interrupt and spoke up, "The best case scenario is an endless sea of Slayers. How is this not worth it?"

"They're still girls Nicolas! How can you justify risking the lives of the Slayer for the mere potential of having more Slayers around?"

Buffy crossed her arms and looked like she was ready to make her displeasure known when Nick continued speaking.

"Kendra's already dead. Buffy's here and Faith is safe holed up in Boston. The rest mean absolutely nothing to me. Considering their place in the bigger scheme of things... they don't mean much to the universe either."

Another bout of absolute silence... Buffy didn't look like she was taking the revelation well and Nick's pack seem to sense the shift in the room. Even I drifted in between the two while the others calmly but swiftly took up their positions flanking him. The air was once again thick with tension when Nick collapsed to the ground gripping his head. The scream that erupted from his lungs was a long and tortured one. I should know.

I was already in motion before I consciously decided to and wrapped my arms about the boy as he collapsed into himself. His screaming abated for a moment when his eyes opened up and he spoke in a furious tone."

"_No... No! It won't happen!"_

Again convulsions racked the boy when he once again closed his eyes and reached for his head and started screaming. I could smell the blood dripping out of his nose and wrist but there wasn't anything I could do. Jonathan leaned over Nick and wiggled his fingers around after dripping some blood on the boy. It did absolutely nothing. Jonathan's crestfallen and anguished expression tore at my heart.

I turned to Giles and snarled at him to _something, anything!_

"_NO! He's not allowed! I'll go alone!"_

I was straining to keep Nick from hurting himself when another batch of convulsions wrecked havoc on the boy's body. A few moments later and he bit out, "_**NO! MINE!"**_

Nicolas' eyes closed up and this time the convulsions lasted longer. Blood seeped from his ears as well as his nose and finally Rupert returned with a bundle of herbs. He set them on fire on one end and waved the other side under Nick's nose. It seemed to calm him down and after the briefest of moments I heard his heartbeat slow down and his breathing pattern normalized.

Suddenly his eyes flew open again, this time with an eerie white hue, and the screaming started once again but abruptly ended. Nicolas slithered out of my grip and jumped to his feet. He stared off into the distance and in one immense roar yelled out...

"_**I CAN SEE YOU!"**_

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 114: Interlude - Liam of Galway-E*

"**I CAN SEE YOU!**"

Nick's roar has a terrifying aspect to it. The first time I heard it was when we fought the Three. Back then it wasn't as pronounced, as refined, as it was now. I found myself easily shaking it off during that short encounter despite the obvious strength. Since then I heard it on a fairly regular basis and it got increasingly more difficult to work through its effects. It has become more insidious, it progressed beyond the primal and raw fury, and seeped my internal balance and control.

It's difficult to put in to words but when the rumbling of his voice turns to a deafening roar the world briefly shakes. The edge of your perception frays and everything becomes just a little darker. I imagine it feels a lot like the early phase of losing one's consciousness... or at least that's what I'm told.

The roar has a different effect on the others though. I could see Rupert flinch severely, Willow and Xander swiftly huddled together, and Buffy curiously relaxed her tense stance but drifted towards her two friends with a worried look on her face.

Marcie was as always hard to get a read on but Jonathan and Andrew seemed to be uplifted by the roar. Each of them breathed a sigh of relief but was still palpably agitated and energized. Landokmar's straightened his back, started softly swaying on the balls of his feet as if readying himself for combat, and never let his gaze wander from Nick. Lib sported a loopy grin but was otherwise quickly recovering from the shock of seeing the boy in pain. Mica however seemed to share my reaction.

That bore some looking in to.

The boy in question slowly turned towards his toys, lost the white hue to his eyes, and without any words being spoken they responded. Marcie darted off to support him and reached him before he started swaying on his feet. Andrew levitated a chair over to them while the rest closed in around him.

In that moment I realized that things _had _indeed become too damaged between us.

Buffy spoke up first, "What just happened?"

Jonathan hissed a reply without turning towards her, "That was a vision from the _fucking_ Powers."

Marcie added her color commentary, "He got a raw deal, Buffy, instead of super powers... "

She didn't finish her sentence but everyone here nonetheless understood her. When it came to being Called by higher Powers... Nick certainly didn't get the easier hand dealt. I could faintly hear Rupert muttering under his breath but he stopped when he noticed me looking.

_"I read about this but I didn't think... what does it mean?"_

A few moments of quiet passed when Nick seemed to recover enough to start talking again. The faint crackling of magic was humming a background noise in turn with his rapid heartbeat when he stood up and stared down his Pack.

He took a deep breath before softly growling, "**New plan; you all head off home and start fortifying the area around it."**

Their shock was plainly evident and it was difficult to say which one of them exclaimed their vehement opposition to that plan first. Buffy attempted to question his reasoning but didn't receive so much as an acknowledgement from the group.

"You can't just cut us out of this becauseyou got a celestial telegram!"

"I don't care! You're not going off alone!"

I could see Nick settling in to wait out their wave of disagreement and could already tell this was going to end badly. Neither side would want to give in. I didn't know exactly what was gnawing at him but from his delirious words I could tell it had something to do with his people. Of course that told me absolutely nothing. Everything the boy does has to do with his toys.

"**I saw it, guys. I saw **_**all **_**of it. You can't come with me. No-one can.**"

Marcie's anguished but shrill reply came swiftly, "_Why_?"

"**Too many of you **_**die**_**. Look... this isn't a discussion. You're all going home now and I'll be home a little while later."**

Jonathan stepped up close to Nick and softly replied, "That's not going to happen, Nick. Our deal doesn't expire when things get difficult."

Andrew spoke up afterwards, "What Johnny said and like _you_ said... we're all marginally more difficult to hurt now. In real world terms that puts us head and shoulders over _fucking_ vampires."

Nick's growling intensified when he responded and his pain was uncomfortably clear, "**What part of what I said was unclear? I've seen it **_**all**_**. I've seen all of you die in countless fucking permutations. One of you **_**always **_**dies... no matter what I do! They wouldn't stop and my whole head was **_**full **_**of you all dying... they kept showing more and more until I reached back and **_**stopped **_**them."**

The boy had obviously gone through a crucible of sort but had perhaps come out of it _different_. The young man that stood before me had very little in common with the smug and infuriating child of before. I was ashamed when that realization was accompanied by a sense of profound of relief. I was even more deeply ashamed when the niggling thought materialized that he might be _worse _now.

He took another deep breath and continued, "**You're all going off to defend our **_**home**_**. I need you guys to keep it standing so I have something to come home to. Trust me; you'll be fighting tonight just not with me."**

I got the sense we were all witnessing an incredibly private moment. The Pack was completely oblivious to any of us and a momentary lapse of my control allowed a pang of longing to bubble to the surface. I quickly squashed it before I could fully examine it. I had already, even if it was slightly unwittingly, made my choice.

Andrews incredibly sad voice rang through the library, "What are we supposed to do if you don't come back?"

Marcie flinched and Jonathan wasn't holding up much better. Andrew had vocalized their fears and pushed it the forefront. Nick didn't respond immediately but did gather up the three of them in a hug.

"**I promise I'll come back. I don't care if I have to burn down half the city but I **_**will **_**come back."**

They all stood like that for a long moment taking comfort from each other. The group seemed to remember the existence of the rest of us when they eventually untangled. Marcie's gaze flew between Buffy and me. Her thoughts were fairly obvious.

I finally spoke up, "What do we do now?"

Even now I deferred to him. Even knowing and tasting the immense grief coming from the boy I didn't hesitate piling more on to him. I knew it wasn't fair but I couldn't get rid of the feeling that he didn't mind spending _our _lives. If his plan was for Buffy and me to accompany him... I wanted him to spell out every word.

Answering me however wasn't a priority for him.

He turned to Landokmar and asked the demon to guard their clan at all costs. Lib offered to do the same when the Pylean replied in the affirmative but Mica was oddly silent on the matter. I had no doubt he'd fight with them but I didn't believe he'd be willing to go the length's Nick expects.

Finally he responded to my question, "**I go out with my hammer and start properly rampaging through Sunnydale.**"

So far that fell in line with what I expected.

I nodded towards Buffy and said, "What about... us?"

His reply next however surprised me.

Nick quickly looked over at me and simply said, "**As long as you're not around me...I don't care.**"

The young warlock walked over the chest and pried it over with his bare hands. He withdrew two shotguns and stored them in his leather duster. Afterwards he picked up the hammer with a faint grunt and swung it over his shoulders.

Buffy didn't take that reply very well, "You can't order _me _around, Nick."

Nick didn't even looked back as he walked out of the library. Just before he reached the door he spoke up though, "**Either help Jonny defend my home or don't. I won't bother holding back tonight, Buffy. Try to not get hit by my pretty lights if you insist on following me."**

He left the library after those words and Xander's words adequately conveyed all our feelings.

"I don't have a good feeling about this."

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**

*Chapter 115: July 1st, 1997-O*

"Kendra's already dead. Buffy's here and Faith is safe holed up in Boston. The rest mean absolutely nothing to me. Considering their place in the bigger scheme of things... they don't mean much to the universe either."

I settled in to wait for the message to sink in. It should serve the purpose of keeping 'team Buffy' a little off balance and hopefully make the girl in question feel _special._ The better she feels about the 'destiny' I'm setting up for her the less she'll be indebted to Giles and the Council. A few suitably timed information bombs should later help her sever _those _ties.

Suddenly the world spun out of control and my mind was assaulted by images, sounds and smells. Each of them obvious came from an alien and disjointed perspective. The realization that the Powers were sending me a message was timed perfectly with the agonized scream that tore through my throat.

_It hurt._

The sheer strength of vision overwhelmed me through its absolute clarity. The images didn't make sense; a screaming boy –_No_, _Jonathan_!- with a missing leg, a blood gurgling girl – _Willow_ \- with a stake through her throat and finally a green skinned demon sacrificing his life for Andrew. I felt my legs give out and briefly experienced a sense of falling. A short moment later I could feel _someone's _arms around me through the onslaught of alien senses.

This couldn't be.

This _wouldn't _be.

I focused my will on the mental scars Robert had inflicted on and found a grip in the torrent of foreign images. I held on for dear life as I searched out more and more scars. Finally I felt secure enough of my control over a sufficiently large part of my mind and jerked my bracelet to roll out a _Bank Safe. _The spell kicked in and abruptly the strain of the visions fell away. Somewhere in a recess of my mind I realized I stopped screaming.

I gathered up the remains of my mind and ordered them before yelling out, "_No... No! It won't happen!"_

Immediately after I uttered those words _another fucking vision _rocked my mind. I reached for my head with my hands but it did no good. _Bank Safe _was clearing away the damage as it was being inflicting but the vision didn't abate. More and more scenes danced before my eyes; each of them more appalling than the previous.

I spend every inch of my control to keep following the celestial signal. I raged and fought internally against every one of those scenes predicted by the Power's. They didn't fight back and the sheer lack of worry they exhibited _pissed me off_.

_Marcie fell to the ground with a dagger through her eye. –No! I'll keep her closer!-_

_Jonathan jumped in front of a pipe smash meant for me and got his skull caved in. –NO! I keep him in the truck!-_

_Willow gets thrown off the top of a –Back to the Pack for fucks sake!-_

_Fred pulls Kar out of house to dart to the truck. Both of them get intercepted.-Shit! Call Fred, tell her to stay in the house.-_

_Liam gets dusted after Drusilla reveals her back-up vamps. –No... this is wrong! He can reeve the edges of the vamps instead!-_

_Marcie again fell to the ground but this time she was bisected. –Oh god... She can run defense for Andrew!-_

_My walky talky comes to life and Kar's anguished voice follows. 'Oh gods, oh gods, their burning the house down!'.-No... I... beg Buffy to go by my house!- _

_Andrew pulled Marcie out the way. His Imp took a strike in his stead. Andrew's momentary distraction got his neck snapped. –Please... I can't watch this... I'll send her entire group all back to my house!-_

_Andrew died through impaling. Andrew died from a crushed throat. Andrew died in my arms as I was starting to heal him. Andrew saved my life and got his head caved in. I send all of them away and they get ambushed. Andrew survives until the end and but a presumed incapacitated vampire gets him._

I found my voice by accident and screamed out, "NO! He's not allowed! I'll go alone!"

I was losing my grip on my mind against the tidal wave of potential futures. I was steadily losing myself in more and more alternate predictions. I needed just one more check, one more right future, to see if they could safely hole up in the house.

Suddenly there was an overwhelming feeling emanating through the doorway to the Powers I kept slightly ajar. Their confidence I had learned my lesson was absolute and it _pissed me off _some more. They were making me feel _small, _keeping me in my fucking _place. _I felt an unimaginable well of anger erupt from within me but suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

_My Primal!_

_Me... _

_Oh Jesus fucking Christ. There's no difference anymore... it's me._

I faintly heard Constantine's whine in the distance. My puppy was fielding his share of the burden but he wasn't faring well. The strain was getting to him and I could feel his little heart working overtime. He couldn't keep this up much longer...

_No... not him too... _

That was the last fucking thing they should have done... my inner beast was in the game now. The anger pierced the last bit through whatever was keeping it secluded. I felt complete despite the large parts of my mind that had slipped from my control. That didn't matter.

Now I needed to rally and reclaim it.

I felt the power from my inner beast surge through me and directed it towards the tenuous hold I held over the signal to the Powers. I imagined it as a burning white thread going upwards to infinity. The strength I took in from my deepest well of undiluted anger coalesced into a single massive strike. The line connecting me to the Powers was forced wide open and I screamed into it.

I fueled my scream with my anger and anguish, "_**NO! MINE!"**_

They were all mine and not fucking dying to some fucking mook vampires. Damn Drusilla and her fucking Sight. The line between the Powers and I suddenly started bucking. I guess they were trying to withdraw permission from me but I wasn't about to let that happen. This session was forced upon me and they _allowed _me to peek because they thought it served their purposes.

Fuck this. I decided that this session wasn't over yet.

The assault of images was done the moment the line went unstable and I quickly regained control over my entire mind. I directed my full attention to the line, jerked my bracelet one more time, and used the accompanying magic to _project _my conscious mind up in the connection. I kept twisting the bracelet and sending bigger pulses of consciousness upwards through the link. When the pulse of magic drifts back downwards I _saw._

I knew they wouldn't let me catch a glimpse of themselves but that wasn't the point. I kept getting flashes of the planes the link was crossing. The Powers were still footing the bill for the connection but they weren't so smug anymore. I got the sense that they was a conflict brewing between them; half of them seemed curious and the other vaguely contemptuous.

Those utter _bastards._

Another couple of pulses of magic later and I drifted through a plane I instinctively knew was the one I needed. I couldn't explain how I knew but I simply went with it. Everything in the mental realm was muted and grey except for the outlines of thousands of shapes. The shapes themselves were murky but their faces where clear.

Each of them stared at me with shock written clear across their faces.

I moved towards one particular face. I felt my body coming with me but I couldn't give it much though. My Pack wouldn't let anything untoward happen with it. A handful of steps later and I _saw _her face.

Drusilla's face was contorted in absolute agony and I _loved _it. The feeling was quickly and ruthlessly battered down by the renewal of my earlier anguish. I gather up the stormy mix of fear, anger and helplessness and pushed it into one massive roar in Drusilla's face.

"**I CAN SEE YOU!"**

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*Chapter 116: July 1st, 1997-P*

Drusilla's visage contorted into a silent grimace as I pumped all of my wrath and anguish into the psychic vampire. I felt the impact rock her and within seconds saw her gradually faded from the astral plane. I let my tenuous grip on the link go and started to slowly drift back down. The first plane I crossed for the second time passed by slowly but after that one my drift turned into a freefall. Faster and faster I fell through the ether until I crash eventually landed into my body.

The dizziness and disorientation hit me after I turned to face my pack. Marcie leapt out and managed to slowly guide me down to the floor as the disorientation consumed me. In the distance I could vaguely hear conversation.

"_What just happened_?" That must have been Buffy.

"_That was a vision from the fucking Powers_." Jonathan was echoing my sentiments perfectly.

_"He got a raw deal, Buffy, instead of super powers... "_

The dizziness wasn't going away on its own so I quickly rolled out a _Bank Safe. _I had performed the spell so many times I could cast it through muscle memory. I felt the disorientation rapidly fall away and I could finally think clearly again. The alternate futures I'd seen were utterly frightening.

Drusilla had been one step ahead of me throughout the entire encounter despite my best efforts. There were futures where I came up with a clever idea or two to counter her. There were others where I inflicted significant casualties no her forces. There were even a few where I won cleanly through a wonderful piece of blood magic.

There were none that ended with all my family alive.

I had one shot, a single fucking shot, to fix this.

In every instance where I sent my entire Pack home they manage to collectively limp through an hour of siege without casualties. This bought me at least fifty minutes in which I could rampage through the vampire forces under Drusilla. My only chance was to combine all the winning elements of the alternate futures...

I opened my eyes and saw I was surrounded by my friends. The afterimages of the visions sent my mind reeling again from the emotional impact. I knew it didn't make sense but I simply had to reach out and touch them, just to make sure they were real. Marcie melted into my arms and I could smell the overpowering scent of Jonathan's blood seeping out of his self inflicted wound.

I nodded my thanks to the boy, and I took a deep breath, before softly growling, "**New plan; you all head off home and start fortifying the area around it."**

_"What!?"_

_"You can't just cut us out of this before you got a celestial telegram!"_

_"I don't care! You're not going off alone!"_

Their incensed exclamations sent yet another jab of pain through my very being. I didn't want to do this but I couldn't... _wouldn't _let any of them die. Regardless of how much this might hurt them. I waited until their protestations died down and they finally took in my pained expression.

_Please understand._

"**I saw it, guys. I saw **_**all **_**of it. You can't come with me. No-one can.**"

I couldn't even say it out loud. I saw them all die, horrifically, over and over.

I was a fucking coward.

Marcie's anguished but shrill reply came swiftly, "_Why_?"

_Please stop making this harder._

I needed to bite the bullet. Just come out and say it.

_Why was this so fucking difficult?_

I let my inner power surge the surface, fortifying my flagging will, and said, "**Too many of you **_**die**_**. Look... this isn't a discussion. You're all going home now and I'll be home a little while later."**

Jonathan's betrayed expression nearly melted my resolve before I flinched when my mind's eye provided me with a high definition clip of his severed head rolling across a parking lot.

Jonathan closed in on me, frowned at my flinch, and softly replied, "That's not going to happen, Nick. Our deal doesn't expire when things get difficult."

My gaze drifted past Jonathan to Andrew. The boy was downcast and clearly already resigned to it. More than any of the other's I knew he'd understand. I also knew I taught him to never take things for granted.

Andrew spoke up, "What Johnny said and like _you_ said... we're all marginally more difficult to hurt now. In real world terms that puts us head and shoulders over _fucking_ vampires."

What started out as a perfunctory attempt turned into a frustrated hiss...

_Just stop fucking fighting me!_

I drew power from my inner well and desperately tried to keep my voice even when I bit out a frustrated response, "**What part of what I said was unclear? I've seen it **_**all**_**. I've seen all of you die in countless fucking permutations. One of you **_**always **_**dies... no matter what I do! They wouldn't stop and my whole head was **_**full **_**of you all dying... they kept showing more and more until I reached back and **_**stopped **_**them."**

Sometimes I curse my heightened ability to read body language. Andrew was defeated and shrunk in on himself, Jonathan backed up a little bit after flinching and Marcie...

She started shaking. I couldn't leave them like this... I wouldn't let them feel useless.

I took another deep breath and continued, "**You're all going off to defend our **_**home**_**. I need you guys to keep it standing so I have something to come home to. Trust me; you'll be fighting tonight just not with me."**

Andrews quietly responded, "What are we supposed to do if you don't come back?"

I _should tell Andrew how very fucking proud I am of him._ Instead I crossed the distance between us and grabbed the three of them up in a hug. Marcie was still perceptibly shaken and Jonathan wasn't much better but I could tell they took comfort from our contact.

"**I promise I'll come back. I don't care if I have to burn down half the city but I **_**will **_**come back."**

July 1st, 1997

At least one good thing came of this violent psychic episode. I was fairly certain I knocked out Drusilla's precog, at least for this evening, and could plan the confrontation to my heart's content. It also meant she wouldn't see the final piece of blood ritual coming.

I ran full throttle through the night swinging my Troll God Hammer around to get a feel for the massive weapon. Either I had become more attuned to the weapon, unlikely given my lack of use of it, or I had simply gotten stronger. I could swiftly move it around me and more than a few cars were tipped over as I ran past them. The impact barely even slowed me down as I moved through the streets.

I let the world fade a little as I focused on my plan.

An exceptionally clever alternation version of me came up with a wonderful ritual. Unfortunately I couldn't draw the edges of the circle before enough death hung in the air and it would be up to me to figure out a way to make that happen.

I quickly slapped down the errant amused thought I was plagiarizing myself and fleshed the plan out some more. The main thrust of it was simple.

Sow chaos.

I needed Sunnydale's vampire population out and about tonight. Considering Drusilla had figured out that the Annoying One was subverted she had likely already gathered the vamps. All that was left to do was shake up her control over the mob and make them come out to face me. Eventually I reached the cemetery a fair few of them were holed up in and kick up a fuss.

I ran up the crypt that was constructed over an entrance to the massive tunnel system of Sunnydale and started furiously swinging my hammer against its walls. I tore out significant slices off the building with each blow and punctuated them with a loud roar.

"**Drusilla!"**

**"I'm."**

**"Going."**

**"To."**

**"Carve."**

**"Little."**

**"Pieces."**

**"Out."**

**"Of."**

And the building collapsed in on itself. I could hear the scurrying of vampires under the ground and inexplicably started chuckling. Despite the stakes involved in this conflict... I was going to enjoy it. There were no warm bodies around I needed to avoid. No allies walking about to make me pull my punches.

Just me and likely a terrifying amount of collateral damage.

I grinned madly and spit out the last piece of my challenge, **"You."**

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*Chapter 117: Interlude - Robert du Blanc*

The vines on the walls of the ballroom retreated from their hiding spots and climbed back to their old positions. This time they crackled with power and I could positively taste the sympathetic links between the magic manipulating the vines and Richard. I saw them rapidly cover most of the wall, and upsettingly the screaming heads, and slowly start to melt into each other. The constructs surrounding them was incredibly interesting and I wished I had more time to study them.

The bastard turned to me and whispered, "Look, Hainsley is about to have an aneurysm."

The Necromancer indeed did not look pleased considering the increasingly red cast his skin took on. The casual dominance Richard displayed over the ever fluid lines of life and death must have hit a sore spot. His own less forgiving magic would have balked at such an overt demonstration of mastery.

I briefly considered reaching out the man and teaching him... just to spite the Mayor.

Instead I dismissively replied, "Just ignore the man, Richard. It's quite unbecoming."

Immediately the man's magic surged all around us and more than a few guests took note of it. I let a little wicked grin show when I reached for my own reserves. I only gathered strength from my inner well for the briefest of moments before Richard withdrew his own concentration of force and disappeared into the crowd.

_Interesting_.

I'd need to meditate on this later but I was fairly certain Richard _wanted _me to pick up on his issues concerning the undisputed lord amongst those involved with Death magics. That much was obvious.

Why did he believe such a plain ploy would have _any _effect?

Or is making me second guess myself enough of a reason for affecting this glaring weakness?

I had to admit that I probably wouldn't count on any plot against the man that relies on pushing this specific button so perhaps Richard succeeded. Playing against smart opponents is tedious.

"So, Monseigneur du Blanc, might I enquire where your apprentice has gone off to?"

I turned around slowly and came face to face with the young Miss Morgan. As always I feel the same trepidation lawyers working for the Wolf, Ram and Hart instill in me. It's not just the fact that these lawyers are perfectly willing to whore out their invaluable souls for temporary power. It's not the fact that there are no limits to their avarice and deprivations. The problem is that those two facts combine in a certain subsection of Wolfram and Hart employees and those...

Those are unpredictable.

I slowly but forcefully responded, "One hour and a half. Or the thirty five yards to the edge of the property."

I had to give it to the young lady. She _did _flinch but managed to tie the involuntary moment into a contrite half bow and promptly walked away. I thought back to the budding relation between Nicolas and this exceptionally dangerous snake of a lawyer I witnessed. I immediately resolved to ensure this did not come to be.

I wasn't going to let him repeat _my _mistakes.

I was shaken out of my considerations when Richard appeared on his raised dais. This time however his attention was focused entirely on me. This could not be good.

"Once again I must call upon your attention my esteemed guests! If you would all look at the walls and kick back to enjoy the show. I, with the help of the latest addition to my household, present to you... 'Four Hundred Vampires, One Boy and A Hammer'."

The bottom of my stomach dropped out and I felt a bone deep chill spread from the hole it left.

_Oh gods... _

_"__**Haha!"**_

_**"Jesus Christ..you're fucking hideous!"**_

_**"Ah ah! It's me!"**_

I completely ignored the polite applause as I wracked my mind trying to figure out how the madman was doing this. I was absolutely certain my boy's tattoos would keep this kind of surveillance magic away from him. My panic kept building until I finally caught myself and took a long and deep breath while trying to avoid falling into a trance.

_**"Nope, me again!"**_

It took a while after a few moments of dancing on the precipice of slipping into my meditative state I finally twigged on to the trick. The massive screen of dying vines on the walls showed the world from Nick's perspective. The Mayor wasn't actually viewing him so much as viewing _through _him.

The _utter _bastard managed to bypass his magic right under my nose. Why did I dismiss Richard sending Nicolas to dismantle the cloaking spell?

_God damn it._

_**"For fucks sake, Buffy, run!"**_

In any case... this wasn't quite _as_ bad as I feared it was. If the Mayor's magic was floating through Nick's system it shouldn't have any long term consequences beyond scaring the shit out of the boy. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing what Nick's fairly inevitable reaction to this would be.

I'm sure Richard would attempt to pitch this as a lesson but I knew better. I wouldn't have to suffer Richard's presence for very long after this. I would relish the moment the bastard realizes he lost the boy. Despite the Mayor's fairly monstrous nature I was _sure _he truly wanted my boy.

In his demented view of the situation I was certain Richard would see _all _his actions of eventually beneficial to both the boy and himself. Nicolas would become immortal and grow ever stronger. Richard would have a terrifying attack dog... forever.

I discarded the pangs of jealously ruthlessly and told myself that I wasn't pleased because I could never offer my boy the same deal. That I wasn't ever so slightly worried Nick wouldn't want to give up Richard...

Instead I focused on the most macabre of shows on the walls. The picture wasn't exactly the highest quality but it did serve the purposes of its creator. It worked well enough in showing us the carnage Nicolas was currently getting up to.

Just now I saw him throw his broken pet vampire high in the air, dance away from the less friendly vampires around him, and catch his falling pet with a cleverly constructed force-field. A surge of pride raced through my entire being when I realized this was an _on-the-fly _adaptation to his **Barricade **spell. Instead of letting form over himself as a cocoon he made it appear just under his pet as a little platform.

A few moments later I saw my boy grab the Slayer and join his vampire on his magical platform after a tremendous jump. I knew he was just barely out of reach of the other vampires but it couldn't last long. Vampires might be stupid but even they will sooner or later start throwing cars at my boy.

"_**Just shut the fuck up and don't give them any ideas, Buffy!"**_

Even through the hazy connection I could tell that the Slayer was seething. If any of my other apprentices had ever been stupid enough to antagonize a Slayer I would ended them myself...

What was so different about this one?

Richard appeared to my side and once again brandished his over the top smarmy-ness.

I did my best to clamp down on my own flinching when I heard him say, "So... why is _our_ boy stabbing himself in the legs... and arms?"

_One day I will make your bones dance out of your body, you soul-less freak._

"They can't stay up there, Richard, and I assume _my _apprentice has a ploy or two up his sleeves."

The Mayor gave me a knowing smirk and slapped me on the back. It took every ounce of self control I had making sure I didn't carry out my unspoken promise right then and there.

Again Richard's grating voice came, "Indeed. He's truly one of a kind. Aren't you curious what he'll get up to? Oh..look! Goodness... "

Nicolas directed the Slayer to handle carrying their pet vampire while he promised to clear out a path for them.

"_**Don't think. Just run in a straight line... you won't be able to see... "**_

The platform broke and a mere moment after that the Slayer landed perfectly on the reformed platform and continued onwards by leaping over the gathered undead with Liam on her back. Nicolas, on the other hand, broke the platform once more and disappeared into a frenzy of clawing hands.

The briefest of instants passed before I healed the damage the shock did my heart and I stared intently at the mess of limbs and dead flesh before noticing short flares of bright light. The lights kept growing and finally my boy erupted from pileup.

The audience started tittering and applauding once again. I faintly noted this finally stopped once they could feel the walls shaking around them.

The world around my boy exploded into bright white light that was only accentuated by the highly damaging blast of concussive energy ripping the closest vampires apart. I could faintly hear the grunts of pain my boy was making from the concussive blasts indiscriminate effects. Fortunately for him... he could drain the damage away in the exceptionally short time between the various bursts of light.

He made increasingly twitchier movements when I finally, and rather belatedly, realized that his blades in his limbs were his way of casting _faster_. Each little movement spawned a ball the size of a head and saw it throw the vampires into confusion... and a fair few walls. Every other little twitch healed his own damage and once in a while he managed to fire off his entropy spell.

Within moments the area around him was clear of vampires.

"_**Well fuck me sideways. That worked... "**_

I snorted a little bit before I clamped down on it and simply settled for the relief in seeing Nicolas prevail. That relief turned to unrelenting fear when I saw the circle he was carving around himself.

_No... you fool._

Even Richard breathed in sharply and exclaimed, "Is... is he _really _doing _that_? When did you teach him? How did you... what's _wrong _with you Robert?"

There was an internal war erupting deep within my soul. On the one hand all I wanted to do was fly off and slap some sense in Nicolas. On the other hand... he was finally coming to terms with his Primal.

_God damn it._

_This is why I never had kids... _

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*Chapter 118: Interlude - Liam of Galway*

The only thing more disconcerting than hearing your spine snap is the sound it makes when magic forces it to mend within seconds. Nick removed his finger from an incision he made in my arm and I felt the magic animating his healing spell leave my body.

"Ok, listen up. I made a terrifying mistake."

Buffy scrunched up her face before responding, "Oh, _really_?"

"The ritual... it worked but not as I thought it would. I don't have my Pr... look, in a few minutes a powerful entity will be roaming around. I'll go kill it but I need the two of you to run to my house."

The infuriating boy was actually shaking and I got more than a little whiff of fear off of him. More than anything that convinced me to not ask any questions. Buffy was about to reply again but I cut her off by grabbing her hand, I nodded to Nick, and walked away while forcible dragging the girl behind me.

"Hey!"

"No time to chat, Buffy. The quickest route to Nick's home is through the sewers but we can't risk getting surrounded underground."

"Let's go on top of the buildings then?"

I quickly smiled at the Slayer before jumping up the nearest derelict warehouse. The easiest way to get Buffy to focus on something is to make her think things through...and make her believe it's her idea.

My smile didn't last long as the acrid smell of dead vampire dust dominated my senses. They say that the knowledge of the worst smell known to any creature is ingrained in its buried instincts. In the deepest crevice of any creatures mind lays that instinctive association of _danger _and _foulness _with the scent of its own kind's dead and dying.

In my long, extremely long, life I have encountered a lot of death and misery. Never, however, have I seen this number of broken vampires desperately dragging themselves to the nearest shelter.

"Shouldn't we... uhh, kill them?"

I didn't respond beyond speeding up some more. Maybe my inner demon would relish seeing his enemies battered before him but all I felt was disgust. More than a few vampires were darting around the wasteland created by Nick's magic. Enough buildings still stood for us to use their roofs as an elevated highway but we had to plan our routes.

Here and there fires raged across the warehouse district, a handful of buildings seemingly collapsed under their own weight and car wrecks dotted the roads. We dodged all of those and miraculously none of the still mobile vampires came after us.

"Shit, this is... he only had ten minutes on us... "

"Yeah... magic. Words can't describe how much I hate magic, Buffy"

The girl actually snorted before replying, "Considering... you know."

I frowned and pretended she didn't go there. I didn't like discussing the state of my soul with the girl. Every time the subject came up I could vividly hear Nick's warning ringing through my mind. However much time I enjoyed spending around the bright Slayer didn't mean I wasn't aware of the potential cost at all of times. The boy could not have been any clearer.

The closer I get to happiness... the closer the world is to having Angelus run around again. No price was high enough to ensure that did not come to be.

Buffy suddenly exploded in a burst of speed and managed to end up before me. She stopped, grabbed my arm, and forced me to slow down as well.

"When are we going to talk about what happened? Nick... you saw it, Angel."

She's the only one who calls me Angel on a regular basis. Nicolas simply refuses to entertain the notion and his entire group follows that lead. Giles alternates Angel and Liam depending on his mood but Buffy never called me Liam. I should tell her how much I appreciate it.

I neither properly remember being Liam nor very much liked being him. Perhaps Angel will do better?

I pretended to exhale deeply and said, "I don't like it either, Buffy, but his rationale made sense. The women were surrounded by dozens of vampires. They were already dead."

Obviously she couldn't accept this. Perhaps it was that spunky Slayer spirit but from what I gleaned from Nick... the Spirit wouldn't have cared.

"Bullshit! He didn't even try! He just... he just cut them through!"

I sympathized with the girl, truly I did, but this was _not _the time to start moralizing. I know I'll dwell on the subject long and hard but it could wait.

"It looked fairly-."

"Don't give me that crap, Angel. The vamp didn't even finish threatening them before he just cut them down."

Right. This is one of those occasions where I have to temporary upset her and apologize profusely later.

I spit out forcefully, "Buffy! Not now! Freak out later."

Her throat must be constricted with fury because she just made the most incredibly adorable noise with it. I ignored it and once again set course to Nick's home. I firmly suspected Nick's fear to stem from the fact that his oddly specific fifty minutes were over. I couldn't quite fathom why his Pack would be safe for that amount of time but... I wasn't going to second guess him.

Not when he was actually exhibiting human emotions.

Buffy appeared at my side and bit out, "We can jump and talk!"

Great. She really wasn't going to let this go.

"Fine. He killed those two women. That's bad and I'm _sure _he knows, Buffy."

"God damn it, Angel, what am I supposed to think about this? We're supposed to be the good guys... saving people! But... he didn't even try, I mean-."

A fledgling jumped out just in front of us and Buffy didn't even lose her jumping rhythm as she dusted the poor fool. Moments like these give me hope that Nick's right. That Buffy was truly spectacular and wouldn't end up like all the other Slayers.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. I don't buy his reasons."

And times like this just showcase how very little Buffy knows of real world consequences.

"I do. By killing those two he ensure nobody will try that again. Demon's aren't stupid, Buffy. He's proven to them that he's not... "

I could positively taste the outrage in her tone, "What?"

"Buffy, this isn't the time to talk about philosophy."

She bristled and immediately responded, "Two people died!"

I could tell that the lesson wouldn't sink in for a while. Instead I settled on mentioning the obvious.

"We just fought through more than a hundred vamps. Well... we guarded Nick while he killed them in large numbers. Hundreds more are roaming Sunnydale... far more than two people died tonight. Far more will die this evening Buffy."

She fell silent but having the Slayer be quietly seething with fury couldn't do any harm. Again without skipping her stride the girl smoothly dusted another set of vampires while I snapped the neck of the young thing that charged me. There was a reason why Nick _didn't _finish all those broken vampires. I didn't particularly understand it but if it helped win us the night...

_If we could just ensure none of those dying were ours... _

Wow.

I couldn't believe I actually thought that. Never mind that it was only a fleeting thought... I _knew _ I never thought like this before these past few weeks. Certainly not while Whistler was looking to string me along...

We finally reached Nick's house and found it surrounded by vampires. One of the houses to the side of it was already burning down. The only thing stopping Nick's house from catching flame as well was the water container on top of the mansion that seemed to spit of geysers of water. I could make out Jonathan's figure on top of the building as he directed the fire from his vantage point. Two massive hands erupted from the flames and swiped through a significant section of the vampires. The others dodged out of the way and seemed to regroup.

Determined the Slayer bit out, "I'm going in."

She took a massive leap and landed in the middle of the throng of retreating vampires. If I had a heart I'm sure it would leap to my throat. I followed the girl into the sea of vampires and tried my best to keep them off of her. She was putting Nick's axe good use and carved out a nice path towards the home.

It looked like we were making decent headway when the vampires stopped trying to retreat and fell upon us in a coordinated move. Their plan was so obvious in retrospect I was mentally slapping myself for my stupidity. We were surrounded and not by easily killable fledglings.

"Daddy! You musn't hurt Daddy! We have _plans _for Daddy!"

Great...

Drusilla kept the strongest vampires with her. What else would go wrong now?

Buffy and I turned back to back and fought tooth and nail to keep from being overwhelmed. I could have sworn this was going to be our end but right then the cavalry appeared. I heard Landokmar's warcry erupt and be suddenly silenced. The curse of my heightening senses didn't let me miss the following gurgle I heard afterwards.

"_**INCENDIUM IMPETUS**__"_

I heard Jonathan's enraged cry fill the air with fire while the mechanical noises from Andrew's _thing _indicated the disturbing actions it was taking.

Suddenly the entire world _shifted._

And the world drowned in blood.

Andrew's voice came out of his creature and yelled at us to, "To the house you two! _**Now**_!"

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*Chapter 119: Interlude - Jonathan Levison*

As I stood atop the roof I could feel the scorching heat of the fire come over me in waves but I didn't let it dissuade me. Fire doesn't have a will of its own and I'll be damned before I let it deny me the control I desire. Unformed magic erupted from my hands and I guided it to reach deeper into the flames to the place of its origin. After what felt like an eternity but actually came closer to seconds I finally wrestled it under control. The link between the cleansing fire within me and the roaring inferno next door was complete.

I tried to form the flame into a whip to swat the vampires away with but the end result was rather disappointing. The thin beam of fire wasn't hot enough to simply burn through the vamps and collapsed on contact. The next plan fared much better when I simply directed the connection between the fire and myself to widen. I increased the magic output slightly and _imagined _my own hands erupting from the flames. Two massive limbs sprung from fire, at least fourteen feet tall, and with nothing but a thought I smote the vampires in reach.

This time the fire was all encompassing and none of the demons it touched escaped death. I briefly looked over the retreating vampires to guess where they might run to when I noticed Buffy and Liam jumping into the fray.

_Fuck... _

I couldn't simply play pop-the-weasel anymore. They just _had_ to come in and ruin a perfectly well thought out defense. I thought they were supposed to be supporting Nick. What the hell are they doing here?

All I could do was try to grapple and burn the vamps around the two hotheads while desperately trying to not hit them. Suddenly the vampires all stopped retreating, Drusilla screamed out something inane, and Lando charged out of the house together with the Imp.

_This wasn't the fucking plan!_

The next few moments passed in a haze of contempt and disgust. In hindsight I realized I processed Lando's quick demise in a fairly cold and detached manner but at the time... I couldn't care less. I reached deeper in the flame and my own well of strength, connected the two even further, and yelled out the final seal.

"_**INCENDIUM IMPETUS**__"_

I had committed myself to the fire and was tickled pink to see out of the blazing inferno next door/_my visage erupting fully. _

_My head came out first, followed by my arms supporting my upper body. I dragged myself out of the flames, into the world, and it was GLORIOUS. Power surged through my very being and only the urgent thought that I didn't have long stopped me from basking in the heady feeling. _

_With a single kick six vampires perished. A stomp and a knee-fall later saw another twelve burnt up until nothing but dust remained. I threw my arms around and was faintly aware of the house I crushed._

_ It didn't matter._

_In that fell swoop another handful of vampires died cursing my name. They called me the Mage but I resisted the urge to correct them. _

_They'll find out eventually when I-.\_

Everything collapsed and the world was bathed into blood. The feedback from the forced disconnection pushed me to my knees and I puked blood. Or was that just regular puke? I pulled myself together and cast a frantic look around me. The vampires were immobilized and dripping with blood. The air held a faintly red hue and _all of us _were covered in blood. Holy fuck...

What happened?

I shakily got on my feet but was still reeling from the impact of the aborted spell. Once I reached the door the stair I had to hold on to the railing to keep standing upright.

_Fuck! I'm useless like this._

I reached deep, past the turmoil within me, and found the well of pure cleansing flame. I drank it all in, brought it to the surface, and felt it drain away the negative energies. Finally I could breathe again and I raced down the stairs. Only to find Buffy fretting over Liam's paralysis and Andrew's Imp racing into the house. Xander and Willow ran up the distraught Slayer and Giles had the most peculiar expression on his face. The others took advantage of the strange respite we got from combat to reload their guns and hustle up some more grenades.

"Angel! Are you alright? What's happening?"

"They're all like that, Buffy." I said.

The blond murder-machine turned towards me and bit out, "Is Nick doing this?"

Something in the way she said that pissed me off. I get that she's worried about her precious pet vampire but she shouldn't be so fucking disrespectful.

I drawled out, "Probably."

Clearly that didn't sit well with the girl but I couldn't find it within myself to care. Instead I walked over to Marcie and helped her reload.

"How's it going Marcie?"

Our own brunette murder-machine turned to me and smiled, "Excellent! I got fourteen of the freaks! How many are on your tally, Johnny-boy?"

I snorted and briefly contemplated embellishing before deciding against it, "Thirty three."

The look of disbelief on her face quickly changed to impressed before settling on amused.

"Well _damn, _Johnny. _Damn _impressive!"

I flashed a rather cocky grin and said, "I do try."

Andrew appeared from the basement just as Giles starting sputtering some nonsensical tripe.

He cleared his throat and said, "I checked out the city with our cam network. All the vampires are frozen but there is a complication."

Before he could continue Buffy said, "Of course there is!"

Andrew frowned a little but raising an eyebrow and continuing, "Nick's fighting something big, bat-like, and it can fly."

The description niggled something loose and I was momentarily struck dumb by the realization of what it was. I started shaking and called upon the cleansing fire within me to burn the fear away. Immediately afterwards the world became _clear _again. The room erupted in to a cacophony of voices all trying to make themselves heard. Buffy and Xander were alternating screaming at Andrew and each other. Giles tried to establish some order but none it mattered to me.

I knew what to do but I had to check the notes, Andrew caught my eye and nodded, together we headed off the cabinet in the basement. We couldn't afford to be wrong about this.

As we were leaving Giles screamed out, "Oh, for crying out loud, be quiet! All of you! We're in a bit of a pickle, yes, but screaming at each other doesn't help. Now, let the boy finish speaking. Andrew... ? Where did he go?"

We reached the cabinet; Andrew unlocked it with his wrist foci, and pulled out the little notebook. The red book read '_Scenarios of DOOM and what to do when you're in one_'. A fairly ridiculous title but it did apply perfectly.

Andrew shakily managed to exclaim, "So... we're agreed this is a scenario three erm... occurrence?"

He clearly wasn't taking this very well, "It's just a _bigger _demon, Drew. We can take him."

I swung my arm around his shoulder, pulled him in close, and continued, "We're prepared and we know what to do. We just need to check it out."

My techo-pagan friend nodded firmly, opened the book on the relevant page, and by the time Giles stormed in demanding an explanation we had already gone into motion.

I pinned Giles with a glare and said, "Shut up." I turned to Marcie, "Marcie, go grab the Holy Glove and give it to the Imp. Lib and Mica; I want you to go outside, collect Drusilla, and bring her in after cutting off her limbs. Fred, go to the back with Kar and start up the trucks."

Giles' eyes however were firmly on the wall of screens and his mouth hung open in shock.

"T-that... that is Maloker. H-he... he's... oh dear."

I cleared my throat for effect and said, "We have a plan, Giles."

Buffy almost immediately interjected, "What's a Maloker?"

We so didn't have the time for this.

"It's an Old One, very scary and very dangerous. Now be quiet."

Willow gulped before she threw in her piece, "I read about those! How can you possibly have a plan for them? They're more than just dangerous... they-."

"For the love of god, shut the fuck up, Willow. Nick is a Seer. What will it take for you people to grasp this!?"

The man focused on me and exclaimed, "Well then, by all means enlighten us, what is this plan?"

"You all stay here with Buffy and keep an eye out on Liam... and the house. Andrew, Marcie and I are going to save Nick."

I firmly ignored their bitching and Andrew finally reappeared with the components for the spell I had to cast in a few minutes. Marcie had dug out the Holy Glove and Giles seemed to finally grasp what it was.

He asked in a stupefied tone, "H-how... where did you get this?"

Again we ignored the man and moved out to the backyard. We just reached the backdoor when I felt Buffy wrench me backwards and pulling me up to her face.

"I've had it up to here with all of you! This has been the worst night in a long, long, time for me and you won't _make it worse! _Tell me what's going on!"

_How fucking dare she?_

I gathered up my magic, forced it into a tiny edge, and slammed it into Buffy's arms. The Slayer let go with a cry and immediately afterwards I let the structure fall and simply forced her backwards with undefined magic.

I hissed out, "I. Don't. Give. A. Shit. Now... stay _put_."

We headed out the backyard where Fred readied the truck for us. I thanked the girl but let her know she needed to stay behind.

"No! I'm coming and that's it!"

Kar immediately echoed her sentiments, "Please. I want to come as well. I... I owe _him_."

I tried to summon a little outrage but I could only smile. Constantine ran up behind Fred, used her as a spring board and jumped into the truck. I certainly wasn't going to try and tell him what to do...

"Of course you're coming. You need to listen very closely, alright?"

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*Chapter 120: July 1st, 1997-Q*

Everything hurt and I felt _empty. _The ritual had a cost and in hindsight... it was one I might have been rash in seeking out. Perhaps I should have put some more thought into it and the meek acquiesce of the Power's earlier this evening. Why would they show me so _much _if they didn't tacitly approve?

I thought they were scheming to kill one of my Pack only to restore them to me when I came clamoring at their gates.

Why didn't I see _this_ coming?

I had pushed and pushed... seemingly forever, more and more magic, without any end into the thin connection spewing from the fangs around my neck. The words of power I had already burned into the ground around me and the air was thick with the smell of death. I followed the strains from both sets of fangs up until the point they crossed and met. Afterwards... I pushed some more.

I believed all the ingredients were there.

I forgot the dire lesson I had to learn from the Master. My blood isn't merely powerful on its own. It's terrifyingly strong because of the connection to the past. To a time where titans roamed and humanity was united. A time where endless slaughter was a given and peace utterly unknown. My blood acted as a gate for these sentiments. It broke the thin, so very thin line, between here and there.

My Primal... or better said, my Soul, tried to shield me from the feedback of the ritual. It buckled under the pressure of a truly ancient malice and I couldn't _feel _it anymore. I knew, superficially that it wasn't _gone_, and that the ritual couldn't have simply taken it from me. If that was the case I wouldn't be worried about not being able to feel my Soul. I wouldn't have noticed a thing and I could only guess at the depths of depravity I'd have fallen into...

This was somehow much worse though, knowing that my Primal/Soul was unavailable to me, the idea that it was so damn close but just unresponsive. I could still feel Constantine and his piece of my Primal/Soul but I didn't want do anything with it. The past few months had twisted it around and it was _Constantine's _now. He doesn't deserve me ripping my strength back from him.

I tried to summon some strength from my inner wells but couldn't even locate it. It was as if something _foreign _was nestled around my magic. Something that was interrupting the normal flow of the power and making it take... detours. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Eventually I stopped trying to make sense of it and simply decided to unravel it like any ordinary spell structure. The blockage didn't last very long against the assault of my own magic against it but when I felt it give way it didn't change anything.

I still couldn't feel my Soul.

I would have been more worried about my failure but I was rather distracted by the waves of transparent blood racing across the world. In the distance I could see the source of the blood welling up from the ground. The soil around it started shaking and from it a sight clawed out that turned my insides to gooey jelly.

_Maloker._

Despite my bone deep terror I didn't stop thinking. My mind didn't shut down, perhaps thanks to Sparrows implants, or perhaps I was finally unmoving in the face of fear.

In retrospect it was fairly obvious how this all happened. The ingredients were fairly straight forward. My blood is a gateway, the Powers don't care about the fall out, and the final piece was the faint link between the fangs I traced. Of course the source of the blood demons is fucking _Maloker._

I should have seen this.

The Old One finished clawing out the blood spewing hole in the ground and I finally got a good view of the ancient creature. I guessed it stood about twenty feet tall but I knew that mass was simply a loose guideline for the bastard. The bat-like demon was covered in black hair around his shoulders and legs. The rest of him was a sickly grey that was hard to look at. _Something niggled lose in my mind but I couldn't focus on it._ Its head however was clearly its most intimidating feature. An elongated crest grew from the back of his head, twirling conical ears, and upsettingly massive fangs. It was the face of nightmare...

Maloker's triumphant roar seemed to shake the world around me and for the briefest of moments I was glad I lost my heightened senses. The Old One was announcing his presence to a world that had all but forgotten about it. More than anything that shook me from my inaction. I may not have my super strength, superior senses or any sort of super speed and my Troll God Hammer was useless...

_Fuck, I need to get better at this internal monologue shit._

I still have my magic. Fuck everything else for now.

I got back up onto my feet, jerked my bracelet and daggers around, and started pumping magic into five separate _Flash Bangs_. For the first time ever I didn't stop pumping the magic into the construct of the spell once I felt it become instable. Instead I halted the flow of it to the merest trickle and threw all of them at the Old One. The creature was a little over half a kilometer away and seemed to finally take notice of the little weird human surrounded by the brightest of magics.

The spells didn't go as fast as when they were spent unfettered but they moved quickly enough for my purposes. I had the bastard's attention now. Now I just needed to keep it.

I cleared my throat and yelled out, "Sineya sends her regards, motherfucker!"

The creature quirked it head sideways as if confused but recovered quickly. I could swear I saw his lips quirk a little before he jumped up high... and stayed in the air. The Old One simply flew over my _Flash Bangs_ but then again... I never expected them to hit.

I released the spell structure, turned backwards and covered my eyes, and felt the spectacular shockwave the spell caused come over me. It was strong enough to make me stumble a little but I managed to outlast it. I looked around and was pleased to note my own blood magic had taken chunks out of Maloker's sea of fake blood.

The ancient demon however looked utterly unaffected. It's facsimile of a smile grew wider and it raced towards me. I knew there was no running away for me so I did all I could. I settled in and readied myself to cast a few spells in quick succession. Maloker came closer and closer until he finally was upon me.

I tried my first ploy and fired off acouple _Heat Death's _at the Old One. The red beams of destruction cut through the demon but all it did was grow even larger. Suddenly the five holes through its limbs were made even more irrelevant weighed up against his now forty feet frame.

When the creature finally closed in I hunkered down and cast layer after layer of _Barricade_ and almost collapsed under the strain of a single one of his punches. I cycled through every cutting edge on my body and replaced the force fields almost as fast as Maloker was ripping through them.

_Almost_ as fast.

Turns out that the original vampire isn't quite as stupid as his legion descendants... The infuriating bastard shrunk to a more manageable size and proceeded to parlay the shorter distance his fists had to travel now into a far more effective attack. Within seconds I was reduced to frantically keeping the force field one through three up even after I had already given up on four and five.

Another few heartbeats later and I was reduced to juggling force fields one and two. I could clearly see where this was going and my options were slowly diminishing. I kept trying to spam _Barricade _with the majority of my edged blades while I relegated my bracelet to final desperate maneuver.

Just before the Old One popped my last force field out of existence I rolled away to the left and focused every inch of my being into casting my new and improved _Hysteria _spell. I was briefly tempted to fire off a thank you prayer to whatever deity made the spell go off without a hitch and turned to see Maloker.

The creature faintly hissed, stepped back an inch, and I felt hope soar through my heart.

_Holy shit, I might not die!_

I turned and used the precious distraction to recast my _Barricades_. This time however I planned on using them offensively and kept the connection between the constructs and my magic alive. I placed the first one in a boot-shape, snugly around one of his feet, and fire off the next one around his other foot. The purple light in its eyes died off and was replaced by its natural yellow just as I finished placing two more force fields. These appeared both, inches in front of its chest and back, in an inverse cone. A split second later and I fired off the last force field as Maloker shook off the effects of my spell. The final force field was the thinnest straw I could possible twist it into and I had placed it straight over its head.

Two and a half seconds of distraction against an Old One.

_Robert can suck it._

I ruthlessly crushed the errant though, threw myself backwards out of the reach of his massively growing arms, and pumped in as much magic as dared into my constructs. I could have turned and retreated enough to stay out of its range but the moment I did that Maloker might turn his attention to the force fields. Instead I scrambled to left, threw myself to the right, and rolled around like a mad man. The bastard's arms were seemingly everywhere but as long as it didn't use them to rip the fields apart... I didn't care.

Even a creature as strong as Maloker needed leverage to bring that strength to bear.

I didn't have any time to reconsider that theory before I flew through the air and the world went dark.

**XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX**


	13. Chapter 13

1st July, 1997

I woke up in the dark and was completely unable to move. I tried jerking my bracelet around but my arm wouldn't respond. My confusion turned to unrelenting terror when I ran through the likely causes of my current paralysis. I couldn't quite twist my neck to look around but what I did manage to glimpse wasn't reassuring. The oversized demon got clearly gotten the better of me but I never imagined he'd be _this _strong. I was in derelict and broken down building, probably from when Maloker contemptuously threw me in it, and I was covered by a substantial amount of debris. I tried moving _anything _but beyond faintly twitching my neck around everything was unresponsive.

_Shit._

Ok. _Breathe in and out. Calm the fuck down._

While that was easier said than done I did eventually manage to settle down a little. A little bit of dust got into my nose and I erupted in the worlds saddest coughing fit. Once the greater part of the panic passed I felt like I could properly think again. I felt like repeatedly face-palming once I gave the problem some thought. I simply bit into my tongue, used the release of magic to kick start a _Bank Safe_, and actually felt the various disjointed bits of body glue back together.

That was at least one part of the problem fixed. I turned to the neck and tried to dig myself out from under the rocks and pieces off wall. The debris shook a little and a few of the looser bits fell off. Unfortunately that did absolutely nothing to the larger pieces that kept me immobile.

In the distance I could hear Maloker screech but all that did was remind me I was on a timer. His screams seemed to get louder over time unless…it just meant he was getting closer.

_Fuck._

I jerked my bracelet a little, let off a _Flash Bang, _and felt it displace a few more pieces of wall. Another three _Flash Bangs _interspersed with _Bank Safe's_ later and I thought I could finally see through light coming through the gaps of the debris. One of my legs got a little breathing room and I kicked around trying to topple some more stone off of me.

Maloker's outcry shook the building but the frightened scream that followed it chilled me to the core.

"_No! Kar!" That must be Fred…_

If Fred's here then it means that the others…

I let off a stream of expletives as I erupted in another flurry of panic. I could feel myself ripping my own body to shreds but I didn't care anymore. I was getting out of here, _now! _Magical grenade after grenade illuminated the building and cracked the stone keeping me stuck. Small pieces of rock embedded themselves deep into my flesh but it didn't matter. They were expelled by _Bank Safe _before I even really noticed them. The _Flash Bang's _didn't stop and I was done holding back. Less than a minute later I found I carved out enough space to pull myself out from under the debris.

I reached into my jacket and pulled out one of my shotguns but discarded it when I saw how bent out of shape it was. The other one didn't fare any better and I knew I was already out of grenades.

Well, crap. Guess I'm going to have to stick to magic.

"_Retreat to the church!"_

I stepped out the building, onto the street, and was met by the sight of Maloker crushing our truck between his hands. The monster had grown to a forty foot stature and was just in the process of trying to stomp out the freaky IMP. The living program darted in and around the Old One's legs and with every pass inflicted a spectacular amount of damage slicing through its legs. Maloker screamed with every pass but he seemed far too slow to do anything about it.

_He's carrying the Glove._

A few upsetting realizations struck me at the same time. Jonathan and Andrew must have disobeyed my _incredibly _specific instruction to _not _leave the fucking house. I looked around for the others and silently cursed the lack of Primal assisted smell. Constantine's own freely gifted senses helped a little but I was used to a far more informative scent processor. Instead I just headed out to nearest church.

If _any _of them died I was going to revive them and put them in a little box so they'd never, ever, get hurt again.

_Fools._

I quickly crossed the street, ran through a few back alleys, and came upon the only church in six blocks. One of the advantages of living in Sunnydale, if you could call it that, was the fact that there were three times as many churches as cemeteries. And Sunnydale had _a lot _of cemeteries.

I snarled out as best I could, "I told you to stay home!"

Jonathan turned first and actually _smiled _at me. Marcie materialized next to me, holding on to my arm, and Fred rushed across the room to do the same. Constantine beat her by miles and perched himself atop my shoulders.

"Yup, you did." "Oh my god; you're here, Kar is bleeding!" "Nick!" "_Mine, Pack, Mine, Pack!"_

I disentangled myself from the two women and ran over the small frame of Kar. I saw her coughing up blood and the sight of her bleeding, broken body, only increased the icy fear in my veins. I opened a slight cut, stuck my finger in her, and drained away all the suffering.

Andrew's turned towards me, briefly flashed me a grin as his eyes lit up green and said, "My Imp is beating the shit out of an _Old One_."

Jonathan spoke up, "I know you're mad but frankly…I'm alright with that. We talked about this, Nick. Scenario Three. You need us here!"

I took a deep breath and tried to spit out a reply when Marcie interrupted me.

"I'm sorry, Nick, but you can bitch about this some other time."

Jonathan continued once again, "Indeed. Anyways; Scenario Three calls for the Gigantism spell and I doubt the Imp is going to buy us enough time to pull off that ritual. Do you have any other plans?"

More than anything Marcie's words convinced me to let this go. If even she wasn't listening I knew I couldn't push things too far. Instead I let the breath I was holding in go and turned it into a deep sigh.

"Alright." I paused for a moment and continued, "Blood Magic wasn't enough. I'm…I'm going to need to dip into some deep _Flesh _Magics. I just need a large distraction."

Johnny quirked his head sideways, Andrew was noticeably taken aback, but the rest didn't seem to get the implications.

I turned to Marcie and said, "Have you kept your dagger sharp, Marcie?"

The girl wore a spectacular smirk and replied, "Of course! What do you need me to do?"

"I just need to borrow it, sweetheart. Now…for the distraction?"

Jonathan spoke up once again, "I can handle that. How does fifty feet of flaming Johnny expy sound?"

I frowned a little and looked closely at the boy. There was something off about him but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I benched my suspicions but not before telling him.

"Good, but we'll be having words later, mate."

His grin widened substantially and he actually _winked_ when he replied, "Looking forward to it, Mister _Primal_ Boss-man."

_Shit._

That didn't spell anything good but I couldn't waste any more time on this. The boy walked off to the street and presumably headed out to the nearest open flame.

I turned to Andrew and asked him, "How long can the Imp keep Maloker on his toes?"

The techno-pagan considered the question for a brief moment before responding, "Five minutes, perhaps? The Glove is draining it…otherwise indefinitely. It likely wouldn't hurt the bastard if he didn't carry the Glove though."

Good enough.

"Ok, make way to the basement, there's little you three can do right now. Johnny will make a big splash and I'll go end the ancient freak."

Marcie tried to say something but I covered her mouth with my hand.

"Marcie, just listen, please. I just need you three to stay out of the firing zone. This…won't be pretty. Please?"

The girl eventually nodded after holding my gaze for a moment and helped Kar get on her feet. Fred and Constantine latched on them and followed the two to the back of the church. Andrew seemed to wait until they were out of hearing range.

"Which part of you are you sacrificing, Nick?"

I looked him square in the eyes and said, "Whatever's necessary, buddy. Now, please go with them."

I briefly watched my blond leather clad friend walk off, headed to the street, and ran out to the roof of the church. I squashed the annoyance I felt at not being able to simply _jump _twenty feet up and instead had to use my barrier constructs to set up a make-shift set of stairs.

I created small plat forms right along the wall of the building on which I raced to the roof. Once I got there I saw that Maloker was still being frustrated by the Imp but I knew it couldn't last long. Its bright glow had diminished severely and even though from this distance I could see it very well…I knew its one's and zero's on the surface were slowing down.

I raised the dagger, held it over my left wrist, and waited for Johnny's construct to appear.

July 1st, 1997

As I stood atop the roof of the church I surveyed the damage Sunnydale's warehouse district had accrued over the course of the nights battles. Fires raged all over the neighborhood, I could hear people screaming in fear and anguish, which coupled with the unnatural stillness of all the vampires, made for a terrifying panorama. More than a few buildings had collapsed unto themselves and the smoke from all the fires sent more than a few people scurrying from under their cover. Sunnydale syndrome covered a lot of weirdness but I wondered how this was going to get explained away.

'_Four hundred gas leaks last night! Mayor to make announcements tomorrow!'_

Maloker and the rapidly diminishing Imp were still going at it. In his fury the Old One cracked the roads, kicked over cars and trampled buildings. I had to give it to Andrew; his creation was one sturdy motherfucker. I could see the wounds all over the ancient demons legs and briefly considered how strong the beast would be and whether I could take it myself…

The fact that the wounds didn't seem be healing was utterly amazingly in its own right. The Holy Glove and its power weren't designed to battle Old Ones but I guess the ancient creature was close enough. Kleynach demons were 'Pure' demons after all and only a single step under the Old Ones. I had to remember to send Denver a little thank you letter if we all came out of this alive.

Unfortunately, the ancient demon had wised up significantly and discarded most of his mass early on in the conflict with the Imp. Now it stood barely higher than a man and was actually keeping up with the rapidly darting construct. Fortunately for us the creature never got a good clean hit in and Imp seemed more than able to absorb the glancing blows Maloker inflicted on it.

Despite asking Jonathan to set up a distraction I kept an eye out on opportunities to blast the Old One with a barrage of flesh magic. Unlike blood magic I couldn't quite rely on lobbing spell after spell at the creature. Blood can be fairly easily replaced but flesh…well let's just say I didn't want to risk running out of it.

A full minute had passed since I reached the roof but still there was no sign of any of the fires surrounding us acting up. Perhaps Johnny ran into some trouble? Did he lose control over his inner fires?

_Shit._

The Imp was fading further and further away and it was upsettingly obvious the construct wouldn't last much longer. I couldn't afford waiting for Jonathan anymore. I was going to have to take the shot.

If I missed…

I couldn't even consider that.

I raised my arm in front of me, aimed the dagger straight at the elbow, and with a clean and powerful strike cut through it in a singular motion. The stray thought that it was fairly strange that I didn't so much as flinch from the strike raced through my mind at the same time as a breath-taking amount of magic was suddenly released. Faintly I processed my arm dropping onto the roof with a wet thud but the majority of my attention was caught by the utterly deafening pulse of my magic.

_Dum. Da-da-Dum. Dum. Da-da-Dum. Dum._

The chaotic and wild magic hung in the air and pulsed in concert with my heartbeat. I metaphysically reached out for the power, desperately wrestled it under control, and finally managed to order it into a spectacular _Flash Bang. _Any other spell would have run the risk of completely missing the Old One and that was simply unacceptable. The light from the magical grenade shone as bright as a sun and only the fact that it was still connected to me stopped it from searing out my eyes. Unlike other _Flash Bangs _this one was a good feet in diameter and the power emanating from it was _intoxicating._

I lobbed the _Flash Bang _towards the ancient vampire, witnessed the incredibly satisfying sight of it trying to scramble out of the way, but thankfully the spell still caught the demon. The shockwave was an order of magnitude bigger than anything I had ever felt before. Only the instinctive reflex of subduing the entirety of the rest of the ambient magic and forcing it into a _Barricade _kept me from being swept up in it.

The world shook all around me and a thrill of utter sadness ran through my very core.

_How many people were hiding around here? How many lives have I just snuffed out?_

I forcible stopped myself from thinking about it but the more I tried to bury the thought…the harder it bubbled back up. I was caught in a feedback loop that was progressively getting harder and harder to disregard. Long, excruciatingly long, moments passed before I regained a semblance of control but even that was ripped away from me when I heard a solitary scream come out from the dusty road.

"_No! Anne!"_

My incredible relief at the not recognizing the voice kick started the cycle again and this time I lost myself in it, fully. Guilt, which I had evaded for so long, hit me like a punch to gut and I felt the bottom of my stomach give out. I fell to my knees, hurled out the contents of my stomach, and started violently hyperventilating when I had vomited out everything in my system. Despite already being on my knees I was caught by powerful vertigo and shivers erupted all over.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

_All those people…I can't…_

_Jesus Christ…I'm a monster._

That last thought was too much for me and gave up trying to hold everything inside together. I reached for a little more magic and came up empty.

_An eternity passed._

I didn't know how long I stared at my puke covered knees. My stump had long since stopped bleeding but that didn't even register. My entire world was reduced to shame and all I knew was guilt. In my desperation to end it I withdrew inside my mind. Deeper and deeper I fell until eventually it would stop hurting.

_Just stop._

_Please?_

I felt Constantine's presence asserting itself. Without thinking I reached out to my puppy and welcomed the source of comfort. Constantine, however, wasn't satisfied and pressed on.

A flash of _understanding _passed between the two of us and I knew he what he wanted. I reached further into our bond and opened the connection between us full throttle. The wicked energy of the Constantine-Primal raced across and made contact with the slumbering Me-Primal part inside of me. With a start it woke up and I felt everything else fall away.

_Ah! This was much better!_

_Note to self; don't let it go. Ever!_

I got back up on my feet, inhaled the scents of the night deeply, stood up as straight as I could and howled as loud as possible.

"**My Den! My Pack! All mine!**"

I surveyed the aftermath of my raw magic and couldn't help but grin. Once the dust settled I could clearly see a seventy foot crater where there had been buildings just moments before. It was almost as if all the matter was simply eradicated because I _knew _explosions didn't work like this. An unnatural quiet hung in the air as I searched for either Maloker or his remains.

I couldn't find either.

What I did find was the Holy Glove laying near the edge of crater without so much as a scratch on it. I jumped off the church, crossed the distance to the Glove in seemingly two steps, and put it on my still attached hand.

My telekinesis may not be as powerful as Andrew's but it _had_ gotten strong enough for reasonable purposes. Just as I magically slid the Glove onto my arm I was assault at all sides by scent of death and the stench of raw fucking power. Red and black lines violently swung around me like out of control fire hoses and with speed borne out of desperation I darted away from them. I slapped the ones that got close away with Holy Glove but that didn't dissuade them.

I still couldn't see Maloker but the red and black lines of death and power still chased me. I jumped on top of the nearest building that still stood and briefly noted that Johnny finally got his flame on. I couldn't give it much thought that as at the moment one of the lines caught up to me.

_Everything burned._

The momentary distraction of the line embedding itself in me stopped me for long enough for all the others to do the same. Ancient memories burned themselves in my mind and only a hastily cast _Bank Safe _kept my brain matter from being shred to pieces. More and more thoughts and memories burned and slashed their way into my mind.

_A family of four quakes in fear as I ate them one by one…_

_A fisherman's shocked expression as I flash him my fangs…_

_A crying infant begging for its mother…_

_A little girl screaming out 'Liam- no!'…_

The world went dark.

_July 1st, 1997_

I awoke with a start, frantically looked around, and the first thing I noticed was that I lay on the couch in my living room. The second thing I noticed was that Giles, Willow, Xander and Buffy were all tied to chairs and unconscious in the corner of the room. Confusion briefly raced through my thoughts before Jonathan put his hand on my shoulder.

"Erm, things got out of hand Bossman."

_What the fuck happened? _

The last thing I remembered was being struck by all the red and black anchor-lines to the blood-demon dimension. I was assaulted by the memories of _hundreds _of vampires and despite _Bank Safe _draining away the damage I passed out. The memories were less pronounced now, almost as if dulled _just _enough for me to keep my sanity, but I could swear I still felt the blood demons.

That would be a worry for another time though. Now I needed to focus on the current situation. How the fuck did this happen?

"**I can see that, Johnny. Please explain."**

My sorcerer friend bore a wicked grin and said, "Buffy and Giles didn't appreciate the measures taken by us tonight. They were about to do something…irrevocable and I thought it best they had a time out."

Ok…

I decided to trust his judgment and looked around for the others. Jonathan must have noticed my confusion because he immediately continued.

"Andrew is in the study doing research, Marcie is invisibly keeping watch over the 'Scoobies', and the rest are packing up everything here. The first floor of our new base is reasonably ready and I suggested we should get ready to move out there. I just sent a message to Uncle Bob…he should be here soon."

I nodded and replied, "**Good. I think…I did something with the vampires.**"

Jonathan's grin got exponentially bigger when he responded, "Heh, Andrew is checking it out, but we have our suspicions. When you passed out all the vampires woke up. Immediately afterwards they started silently playing search and rescue."

What?

_What…_

Johnny continued, "I assume, buddy, that you've overridden their…erm…programming? You were knocked out cold so I thought that they were running off your subconscious. Can you…feel them?"

This was too much. I knew the ritual was risky, I knew it would come with a cost, but I never thought it would do anything beyond paralyzing them. This, however, was both exhilarating and extremely worrying.

I softly replied, "**I can sense something…beyond myself. I don't think I can control them though.**"

Jonathan nodded as if he expected that and said, "We'll figure it out when Uncle Bob shows up." He fell silent for a moment before smiling again, "God damn, dude. You killed an Old One…solo! We're in the big leagues now!"

I snorted a little but shook my head, "**No, Johnny. We were already in the big leagues but now…everyone **_**else **_**knows.**"

My sorcerer friend erupted in a laughing fit and I pulled the boy closer to me. I locked gazes with him and spoke up after a moment of silence, "**Tonight was, in hindsight, rather ill-advised. I'm sorry…I think I caused most of this. No…I'm sure I did.**"

Jonathan looked vaguely confused but I didn't let him interrupt me, "**If I was never here…never came to Sunnydale. I…none of you would be involved in this mess. Not for a long time at least.**"

This time Jonathan looked downright insulted, "I just _love _how you think that's relevant. We faced fucked up odds tonight but we _won! _Look…I get that you feel a bit put out tonight but we'll talk about this when we've got everyone together. _Shit_, I…I'm not as good at this as Andrew. I should just call him."

The sorcerer slithered out of my grasp and headed towards the stairs. I didn't call him back and instead, for perhaps the first time tonight, just sat and thought about the implications. I needed to examine what I knew, what I suspected, and how I could have handled things…better. We had come out of this intact, for a given value of that, and I _was _grateful for that. We certainly couldn't rely on this though.

I couldn't afford holding back anymore. There were avenues of power that I had disregarded for too long. If I had reached for those avenues before tonight…the entire fight would have been fucking trivial.

I momentarily put all of that out of my mind and thought back to today's events. This had to have been the longest day of my entire fucking life. An extremely painful crash-course in blood magic in the morning, getting blackmailed by the Powers in the afternoon, playing politics with the Mayor in the evening and lastly tangling with an honest to god physical representation of the Original Vampire…

Andrew and Jonathan came down but I waved both of them off.

"**Can we **_**not **_**do this tonight? I'm still feeling a little out of it.**"

Jonathan looked like he didn't agree but a slap on the back of his head from Andrew later and he changed his tune. I twigged a little at Marcie's glamour and the girl knew to appear in front of us. I didn't really want to talk about anything so I just motioned for all of them to sit on the couch with me with.

The most pleasant part of evening passed in blissful quiet as we just sat together for a while…entirely content.

_July 1st, 1997_

I could hear someone approaching the door and got up to check it out. Once I reached the door however I could smell the magic in the air. Robert had showed up. I opened the door to greet my mentor.

"**Hello Robert."**

Robert didn't respond and instead just reached out and grabbed me up in a bear hug. Initially I thought the man was _crying _because of the way his body shook but a few moments passed when I heard him wheezing with laughter.

Robert withdrew once he stopped laughing and said, "Oh, my precious boy, you have given me finest gift I could have ever asked for."

I quirked and eyebrow and waited for him to continue.

He let a grin form and said, "You haven't merely met my expectations. You, by far, exceeded them. I have never been so pleased, Nicolas, to have decided to continue my wretched existence."

No matter what anyone threatened me with…I would never admit to my eyes briefly welling up. I tried to sneakily dry them but inadvertently punched myself in the face with my stump.

_Oh._

"**This is rather…inconvenient.**"

Robert snorted and replied, "I can imagine, boy. We'll figure something out for that though. Now, let's move on to even more pleasant subjects." This time Robert bore a terrifying expression, "Jonathan assured me that I could have my way with Ripper now. Do you object?"

Did he just call Jonathan by his name? Holy shit...what happened between them?

"**By all means, Robert, go ahead. I'm not inclined to care anymore.**"

Fred, Kar, Mica and Lib had finished packing up most of the essentials and sat down next to the rest of us. Johnny had earlier explained what happened to Lando and despite the rocky start of my relationship with demon I still grieved for him. No matter _what _he was…he was _mine. _

Robert walked over to still unconscious group in the corner of the roof and I felt him casually snap Jonathan's sleeping spell off of Giles. The man woke up with a panicked look on his face. A look that only got worse when Robert leaned in to whisper something to the man.

"_Good evening, Ripper. Now the most dire part of the recent struggles is over we can get to business. You meddled with the mind of my apprentice. Now…I shall meddle with yours."_

Giles swallowed loudly and replied, "_Robert…I can assure you that I-."_

Robert snapped his fingers and Giles immediately fell silent even though I could still see his lips moving.

"_Your opinions are utterly irrelevant. Unlike the violation you inflicted on my boy I will do you the courtesy of specifically explaining what I will do to you. The spell you used on him wasn't actively malicious…and I have never been accused of being unfair. So I won't be."_

Robert smiled his dangerous smile and continued, "_In a few moments I will cast one of my most prized spells on you. This spell will make you quite unable to lie for…oh…about a day or so. I will lock you and your children into a spare room here and inform them of what I had done. Enjoy explaining the Council's practices to your Slayer."_

Robert turned towards me and said, "Nicolas, do you anything to do add?"

I smiled and said, "**Have I ever told you how glad I am you're not my enemy?**"

July 3rd, 1997

We were all seated around the massive desk in Uncle Bob's basement, enjoying our delicious breakfast. I had spent the past day in a semi-coma as the twin mental trauma of the Powers and Maloker's blood-demons rooting around in my mind finally caught up. I did, however, feel great when I woke up.

"Liam's still acting like an automaton, Nick."

I softly sighed and replied, "Yeah, a soul isn't what animates him…it just gives him a set of morals. We're going to have to turn him human."

Dead silence around the table.

Robert recovered first, "_What_?"

I briefly frowned at him before replying, "Erm, I didn't share that did I? A little Mohra blood injected into Liam's blood stream and voila…he's fully human again. That being said…we shouldn't do that for any of the others. I really, really, don't want to end up with soulless humans."

Jonathan erupted in mad giggles while Robert absentmindedly snapped his metal spoon.

"Boy, are you telling me you _knew _this and you _didn't _tell me?"

The warlock was rather obviously displeased but before I could attempt to sooth him he continued.

"Never mind. Of course you didn't…that would imply you think things through. How about instead you tell us what you were thinking last night and more importantly…we're you came up with that ritual. I ask, boy, because I'm fairly certain Richard butchered the last person who tried it."

Well didn't that sound ominous…

I took a deep breath and started explaining, "Alright. I got a vision from the Powers yesterday. In this vision they…focused on the myriad ways in which you all could die that night."

Jonathan nodded and said, "We're with you so far and we _will _talk about your reaction to that."

I firmly ignored that and continued, "That pissed me off so I…kind of reached for the Powers themselves through the connection between us."

Andrew and Robert briefly looked over at each other and seemed to come to a silent conclusion. I was certain that didn't spell much good for me…

"Boy…just…just continue."

"Anyways. It worked and I, for lack of a better word, slipped across the realms and screamed at them. I might be wrong about this but I'm pretty sure every Seer that's connected to them saw me do that."

Jonathan firmly nodded and said, "Of course."

"That's when things got a little out of hand and I was able to shift through the various potential futures. In one of them I saw that none of us died and that all the vampires were paralyzed after I carved a few symbols into the ground…and bled on them."

Andrew muttered under his breath "_Holy shit…"_

"Look, I know _now, _it was a tad ill-conceived."

Jonathan snorted and whispered to Robert, "_A tad. A tad…"_

"It was the only acceptable future I could settle on…which rather leads me to believe I was being set up."

Andrew jerked his head up and glared daggers at me, "Really?"

"It worked, alright? Sure there are a _bunch _of side effects but we're all alive."

Marcie reached out and palmed my hand with both of hers, "_I'm _alright with what you did, Bossman, we _are _all alive!"

Robert finally decided to speak up again, "Have you considered the implica…no. The Powers seem to be tacitly supporting your incipient bid for conquest. This is both bad and exceptionally terrifying."

I frowned at the man before asking him, "What, I don't want to conquer anything! The whole point of this mess is just keeping everyone alive and reasonably happy."

The Warlock slammed his hands on the desk and bit out, "Yesterday I thought you planned for this and now I find out you bumbled your way through this? Fine, I'll spell it out for you, boy. Either the Powers are supporting you because you have a chance at _winning _which means the cold war between them and their counterparts is coming to an end. Or…they support you because you'll go out in a big fucking blow-out and they can capitalize on it. Either way isn't a _happy _fucking ending boy!"

Robert seemed to catch himself, took a deep breath, and said "I'll go to my office before I do something ill-advised. I suggest you don't interrupt me, boy."

We all watched the warlock thunder out of the room and certainly knew better than to disturb him.

After a long moment passed Jonathan spoke up, "Hmm, I think I have a handle on what's happening to you Nicolas."

Jonathan dramatically paused, plastered a smirk on his face, and finally continued.

"You're a new hub for the vampires. Likely…just the Aurelian blood-line if the bundle of memories you spoke off doesn't contradict it."

I looked at the sorcerer and said, "And what does that mean…exactly?"

"It means that a few hundred vampires now draw their power from _you _and not Maloker." Excitement was plainly written across his face when he continued, "Do you have any idea what this might mean? If you can wrestle your unconscious under control…you can direct them with your mind! We have an _instant _army!"

Marcie interjected with, "Does this mean Nick needs therapy?"

Andrew spoke up before Jonathan could reply, "We all need therapy and Nick more than most. We'll need to look around for someone who's trained properly and can keep a secret."

Marcie nodded and said, "Ok."

Jonathan, however, wasn't quite so agree-able , "Calm your tits, both of you. There's magic that can do that. Worst case scenario…we hook Nick up to the Imp's now powerless network and he can offload the vamps on _it."_

"No! No he can't! God damn it Johnny, repeat after me! 'Nick's head is filled to the brim! We will not add more'."

"Jeez, fine alright, it was just an idea."

Jonathan had been acting slightly off all day. Perhaps it was a simply as his new source of power but I had to wonder what he precisely gave up. Well…best bite the bullet.

I caught my friends gaze and said, "We'll figure things out on the vampire front later. First though, Johnny, which ritual have _you _done?"

The boy casually leaned back into his chair and said, "The Celtic rebirth ritual and before you ask…I only burned out a little fear."

_Bullshit_.

Even if I couldn't tell from his body language and the minor waves of panic he was giving off…just being fearless wouldn't do this.

"And?"

This time the boy fell quiet even after I pinned him with a glare. Jonathan fidgeted about a little but seemed to make no move to further explain himself. A full minute passed before I lost my cool.

I stood up, gripped the edges of the table, and snarled out, "**Johnny…talk!**"

Jonathan looked angrily at me before an uncertain expression crossed his face and he sighed. "And everything before I met you! Alright? I was tired of being _that _guy so I just removed him. The extra power was...obviously worth it."

Andrew hissed in outrage and I wasn't doing much better. Despite my own dealings with surgically grafting thing _on to_ my soul, or perhaps _because _of that, I was horrified at Jonathan cutting pieces of himself away. Didn't he know _I _would have given him all the power he wanted?

Why the fuck didn't he come to _me?_

The edges of the table I was holding on to broke and snapped under my absentminded grip. I could faintly feel pieces of wood perforating my hands and the sticky warm blood that erupted from them but I didn't care.

My voice broke a little when I whispered, "_Johnny…god damn it, Johnny._"

Jonathan flinched but recovered and bitterly bit out, "How the _Primal_ working out for you, Nick?"

And there it was. I couldn't ask him to give his rather overwhelming power away. Visions danced in front of my eyes of Jonathan simply ignoring me and continuing his descent into nothingness. I _knew _that demons didn't grant this level of power without taking something of equivalent value away.

I looked up, locked gazes with my friend, and quietly said, "I…I would have just _given _you whatever power you wanted, buddy." I gulped down my bitter disappointment and continued, "Do you want super strength or invulnerability? I would have battered down the Nezzla's portals and _taken _it for you. If you wanted more magic I would have hurt Rack until he shared his secrets…"

I fell quiet, slowly dropped back into my seat, and whispered "_Do you think so little of me, Johnny_?"

Marcie pulled out a handkerchief and started quietly removing the broken pieces of wood from my hands but I didn't pay her much mind. Andrew seemed to grasp we had reached a breaking point and waves of dreadful panic emanated from the boy.

A tense moment passed before Jonathan gave his stammering reply, "No! I… didn't mean to…_shit_." He paused for a moment and I looked up just in time to see him blink back tears, "I just wanted to help you Nick! Don't you think I see you dreading the future?! I _know _bad times are coming and I also _know _that I need to be better. I didn't want to burden you…I just wanted to help…"

I got up, walked over to the sorcerer, and put my arm around him.

I whispered near his ear, "_Johnny. You help me by just being you. I can't…I won't see you carve off pieces of yourself until you're __**empty!**_"

I put my other hand over him mouth to cut off his reply and loudly said, "No, It's _my _fault; I should have done this before **even if only for my own peace of mind**. I'm going home to pick up Constantine. When we get back we're going to include all of you in the power structure of the Primal. Afterwards…all of you are telling _exactly _what you want and I'll get it for you…**no more deals with demons pretending to be fucking Gods!**"

I momentarily waited a heart beat before continuing, "**Alright**?"

Once I got all their affirmations I turned to Andrew and said, "Drew, find out everything you can about Ēostre. Try to find out if Jonathan gets to keep her power if we kill her. If not…we'll be killing her regardless and you know…beat Rack's magic stealing trick out of him."

Jonathan's eyes widened in panic before he spoke up, "We can't! She's…she's the goddess of rebirth. You literally can't kill her permanently and when she comes back…"

Marcie twirled her dagger and said with faux sincerity, "What if we just…hurt her until her mind snaps?"

Silence fell over the basement until Marcie's amused voice continued, "The way I see it…if the freak is a threat after rebirth it _must _mean she keeps her memories right? So if we break her mind…what is she going to remember?"

Andrew squeaked in delight and after a moment actually started an honest to goodness cackle. In between his cackling he managed to spit out, "_Endless circles in circles, Nick!"_

I took a while before I understood his words but when I did…I couldn't help but join in.

Jonathan seemed to get it a moment later and explained it to Marcie while Andrew and I were still lost in our deranged laughter. Perhaps it was just the release of the tense atmosphere but it felt _good _laughing with him.

Of course, because we were on the fucking Hell Mouth, things wouldn't last. The door to the basement swung open with a loud bang and a hard faced Buffy appeared in the frame.

"We need to talk, Vision Boy. Too much of what happened doesn't add up. I want some _fucking _answers and I want them _now._"

I nodded at Buffy and gestured for her to take a seat. While she calmly and confidently strode across the room I whispered that Marcie and Johnny should go pick up Constantine while Drew started researching. By unspoken agreement Buffy waited until all three of them left before she addressed me again.

The Slayer bit out in crisp tones, "I have questions for you, Nick. I'm so unbelievable tired of being constantly jerked around by this city, all its fucking demons and mostly…you!"

All I could do was weakly smile and say, "By all means, ask away Buffy."

The girl reached into her jacket, pulled out a notebook, and said, "Why am I so _special _to you? You see, I get the sense that if I was _any _other Slayer you wouldn't be screwing with me so badly."

How have I messed with her? My verbal poking couldn't have upset her that badly could it? In any case…I couldn't tell her I knew she was bad ass because I'd seen most of her trials and tribulations. She struck me as far too agitated to simply accept that.

Perhaps I should have just been honest with her from the beginning?

I took a deep breath and calmly replied, "You're right. You're _better_ than most other Slayers. In my visions I see you surviving things you _really _shouldn't have…you're a fighter that doesn't give in. That means I _expect _things from you Buffy."

"Like _what? _I'm not going to settle for these vague descriptions, Nick. I'm not Angel."

Her voice hitched a little when she said that last part and I knew she wouldn't let that go. What could I tell her that was genuine enough to placate her and more importantly kept her as my ally? What would be enough to keep the usually cheerfully naïve but powerful Slayer happy?

A handful of errant thoughts _connected _and I knew just what to say.

This time my smile was entirely sincere when I replied, "Ok. I'll be one hundred percent direct, Buffy. Things are coming which I will _not _name for fear of speeding their return up. I expect you to deal with them while I am caught up in the power-games of the Powers That Be."

I held a hand to forestall her likely angry reply and continued, "Humanity is free _only_ on this world. The Powers…seem to be backing my bid to free all the Human's that aren't lucky enough to be born on this planet. That means I can't always be around to keep people from destroying the world. It will, almost entirely, fall on _you_."

The Slayer's eyes narrowed but I could tell I scored a substantial hit. Now…I just needed to get through the rest of her questions.

July 3rd, 1997

We stared at each other across the long desk as if two kings of old meeting to air past grievances. From an outside perfective our standoff it must have looked utterly ridiculous. Two young teenagers squared off, measuring each other, each trying to convince the other of their reasoning. Whether that was possible was unclear.

The only clear thing was that this conversation was backed by the weight of the future.

Buffy's scoffing reply came swiftly, "I see, are you claiming to be a modern day Spartacus?"

Despite the severity of the situation I couldn't help but be amused. She may be pretending she doesn't quite buy it but she has no proof either way. That, of course, suits me just fine. It wasn't as if she would actually stand in the way of my plans…or that she'd possessed the cruelty necessary to threaten to _stop _patrolling.

I theatrically scratched my chin and said, "Spartacus lost. Beyond that though…sure."

The Slayer's eyes narrowed some more when she replied, "That doesn't give you license to be such a dick."

Well, it finally happened. My idle amusement of poking the Slayer has come to bite me in the ass. There was just this piece inside me though that wouldn't accept doing anything else. I wasn't entirely sure _why _I felt like I had to keep her unbalanced but it was present.

"You're right. It doesn't. What else did you want to know?"

I said those supposedly conciliatory words with the thickest layer of smug I could possibly muster. This obviously wasn't entirely conductive to keeping a stable alliance with the girl but I couldn't quite help it.

Buffy lazily stretched out and swung her neck around before she continued, "I don't like you. I told Giles from day one you were hiding things. I think you're dangerous and more trouble than you're worth. I'm also painfully aware there's much _worse _than you around."

The Slayer delivered her statement with the calm of someone completely at ease. Her eyes never strayed from mine and I had to admit that Buffy pulled off 'vaguely menacing' rather well. It was just too bad for her that she didn't this before I killed an Old One.

I raised a single eyebrow and said, "Uhuh. I'm sure you're going somewhere with this."

Buffy's facial expression tightened into a scowl, "Ever since your 'mentor' cast the truth spell over Giles I had a lot of time to think things through. Especially after he let slip what exactly the Council does to Slayer's that don't toe the party line. What do you know about that?"

Huh.

The girl actually _did _think things through. I would have honestly thought her main objective would be getting Liam fixed but she's tackling _actual _pragmatic concerns first. I was more than a little bit impressed.

I summoned a modicum of respect in my tone when I replied, "The Council exists to control Slayers. Without a Slayer they have no reason for being. If the Council's records are as extensive as they claim…they should have access to the largest collection of magic and magical artifacts in the world. If they wanted to…they could have churned out high class Sorcerers and Warlocks to fight all the demons, everywhere. They don't."

Buffy's expression didn't change in the slightest when I continued, "They have enough money to hire armies of mercenaries to fight demons with alongside their Slayer. They don't. Whatever ideology infused them with the will to mess with the dark magics needed to make a Slayer…they lost. I don't know _why _they are the way they are. I do know that you _cannot _rely on them nor can you directly defy them."

This however did get a reaction, an exceptionally curt, "Why?"

"Rely on them and they'll expect unflinching loyalty…which will be repaid by killing you on your 18th birthday. Defy them directly and a wet-work team comes to dispatch you. I doubt that when you're hesitant to kill the closest thing to a soul less demon, our dearest Mayor, that you would effectively fight back again them. That means you'll have to be careful to please the Council but not to the point where you invite more oversight."

The blond cheerleader swallowed the bitter news as if it was something she had already considered. Perhaps she had?

If it weren't for my heightened senses I would have missed her whispered reply, "_I'm alone in this, again."_

I tried my best to not show any reaction to that and simply waited the girl's distraction out. As far as she was concerned…she was right. The Slayer is alone and obviously can't count on the Council. Giles had recently proven to her that she couldn't count on him, Xander and Willow aren't enough to keep her safe, and I certainly wasn't someone that made her comfortable. I had even managed to strip Liam away from her…

The Slayer looked up and caught my eye again when she said, "Are you trying to evade a terrible future?"

That question kind of came out of left field. I didn't expect the girl to be considering this but from her perspective I had to acknowledge this was a feasible interpretation. Of course, I couldn't let such a wonderful opening go to waste.

"No. I'm trying to recreate one. Don't ask; it only risks that it doesn't come to be."

Buffy obviously didn't like that response but she seemed to be able to let it go. For once her odd instance on being the Chosen One touched by Destiny itself seemed to be working for me. The girl truly believed in Prophesy.

"I think, Buffy, that we clash so badly because we value different things. I'm an 'end justifies the means' type of guy while you decidedly aren't." I paused a heartbeat and continued, "The fact that both of us want to be on top doesn't help either."

Buffy's lips quirked ever so slightly but she visibly steeled herself. Her next question was one I had been dreading from the start.

"Those people you killed two days ago. Do they haunt you?"

I slowly raised my elbow stump and tried to affect a broken whisper when I replied, "I have a daily reminder."

I was becoming more and more impressed with the girl when despite her flushing she refused to accept my ploy. Instead she almost snarled when she replied that wasn't what she asked.

"Am I upset they're dead?" I waited a moment before continuing, "Of course I am. I killed dozens of people because I wasn't _good _enough. I wasn't strong or smart enough to see another way. I was however _just _smart and strong enough to stop the – at the time rather _unavoidable –_ massacre that I knew what coming."

She tried to respond again but I forestalled her by waving my stump around again. I had been as honest with her as I could. I certainly wasn't going to share that I was the one who summoned Maloker. Nor was I going to pretend anything I said would sway her on this subject. Instead…I'd have to force her to acknowledge I had very little alternatives.

"You know the situation was chaotic and messy. You saw me fight hordes of vampires and even though they are suicidally stupid…they would have eventually broken and ran. Once they did…they would have butchered hundreds more that night."

I looked down, faking a modicum of shame, and looked back up at the Slayer. I inserted a little menace into my words when I continued, "I wish I was better and I could have prevented their deaths but I _wasn't_. Unless you had a plan to deal with hundreds of vampires and a _fucking _Old One…"

As has been happening more and more lately…traces of Primal essence bubbled up unbidden, "**I suggest you drop this**."

Buffy lost her languid body language and seemed to shift into a more defensive posture. I could tell she was ready to charge me if I made as much as a twitch but I doubted she'd kill me. She simply wasn't wired that way.

"I can't, Nick, and you know this. We're supposed to be the good guys. _We _protect the helpless from the demons. _We _fight the good fight and you're not pulling your weight! If you can just disregard this what _else _will you just let slip by? For all I know you're ignoring hundreds of things that Mayor does just so he doesn't squash us."

I had already somewhat decided on the next card I was going to play but she wouldn't ever give me

I cleared my throat and prepared my litany, "_Into every generation a Slayer is born: one girl in the entire world, a Chosen One." _

Buffy looked utterly confused but I simply spoke over her, "_She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. She is the Slayer._"

I waited a moment for Buffy to respond and thankfully she was being accommodating.

"What? What's your point?"

I smiled the widest smile I could muster and replied, "Did I miss some piece of it? You must have heard it a thousand times. If I have…do let me know."

The blond girl's face scrunched up in confusion when she was forced to admit that was the entirety of the Slayer mantra.

The Slayer wore a wary expression, as if expecting something horrific, but still answered, "No, that's it. What does this have to do with anything?"

My smile never slipped when I continued, "Where in that mantra does it say you're supposed to be protecting people?"

Contrary to my expectation she erupted in mad laughter. I carefully schooled my facial expression to not show any of my dismay and waited until she got herself under control. Obviously the ploy wasn't received quite as I had hoped but…perhaps I could still salvage things.

"That! Hah!" she seemed utterly lost in her laughter, "That is the most ridiculous thing I have _ever _heard. Just because of a _wording _issue I'm supposed to compromise my entire outlook?"

I kept a wry smile on my face when she continued, "Why don't you try again, Nick? Maybe you'll even outdo yourself?"

I nodded, leaned back into my chair, and said, "Ok, Buffy the Protector of Mankind. Or was it Buffy, Humanities Aegis? You see…I think its Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I think, and you might want to attach some weight to my next words considering I _actually _spoke with the First Slayer, that you're a _fucking _**Slayer. You, Buffy, are what goes Bump in the Night for demon kind.**"

I saw the telltale signs of self doubt creeping into her expression and mercilessly continued, "**Keep deluding yourself you're supposed to be an arbitrary level of 'Good'. You're a **_**killer**_** with an instinct to match it. Laugh at me, dismiss my words, but someday soon you'll figure out why everything seems ever so slightly **_**off**_** for you."**

She was either the best actor in the world or my words were actually getting to her, "Oh, and w-why is that?"

"**There's this entirely uncivilized part of you. It's that place where your power resides, Buffy, that little piece of you that screams for you to go out and murder demons. The other side of that coin is that equally small piece of you that rages against the idea of killing **_**people.**_**"**

I leaned in forward and snarled out, "**I wonder whether the First Watchers would make such a dangerous weapon as a Slayer if there was **_**any **_**chance at all it would turn against them. I wonder, Buffy, whether it's **_**you **_**who recoils from thinking about killing bad people…or of it's the Shadow Men's failsafe against betrayal.**"

It was clear she the thought never crossed her mind but anything that put her off balance could only help me. Now…now I just needed to end this on a high note.

I let the Primal bits of myself fall away and whispered, "_The difference between us, Buffy, is that I know I'm no Superman. I can't save everyone so I settle for those I care about. I guess I'm not as brave and foolhardy as you are_."

_Andrew Wells_

Johnny just came back from his trip to pick up Constantine and it seemed like he returned with everyone. Mica and Lib flanked him and on their heels followed Fred and Kar. I guess he thought our Pylean contingent should benefit from the Primal Essence as well but I wasn't exactly sold. While Nick may have a firmer handle on them and their personalities…I'd only known them for about two weeks.

"Hey Drew!"

I flashed Fred a little smile and closed up the book I was reading. As much as I liked the girl….I didn't think she was ready to get mixed up with torturing an elder being into insanity.

"What's up, Fred?"

"Not sure really; Jonathan said we needed to be here."

I looked over to Johnny but all I got from him was a smug little smile. Up until this morning I was vaguely aware something was different with him but I had simply chalked it up the general weirdness that seemed to follow us. Unfortunately my rationalizations fell apart when Nick forced him to open up.

I didn't quite know what to make of him. I sympathized with his decision to actively seek out more strength but I didn't like the way he went about it. Especially not considering making deals with Demons was the very first _fucking _thing Nick warned us not to do. That being said… Johnny wasn't a complete moron.

The Demon he chose was fairly predictable and from what I gathered over the past few hours…essentially harmless if the correct procedures are followed. Ēostre was only able to 'accept' as much of yourself as you were willing to give. The power she gave out wasn't conditional on future interactions nor was there an ongoing price attached. It looked like she drew her victims solely from the pool of those who couldn't resist asking for _more and more _power…

_Jonathan was a dead man…and I totally get why we have to destroy the bitch._

"Oh?"

Jonathan kept up his smirk and replied, "I'm sure we should _all _benefit from this, Drew."

Fred immediately turned to me and asked, "Benefit from what…exactly?"

And there it is. Another exceptionally delicate situation and Johnny shamelessly leaves it to me to disentangle. Sometimes I hate him a little bit for his callousness. He _knows _I'm going to be stressing myself silly about this but still he just pushes me into the limelight.

_How am I supposed to do this? _

If I just blurt out that Nick wants to share the Primal Spirit; and everything that entails, with all of us…they might freak out. I can't even keep things vague because Fred will _immediately _want to know more. I can't let her handle the pace the conversation without completely lose control of the situation.

Fred poked me in the side and continued, "Well?"

_How would Nick handle this conversation? _

_Ah._

_When in doubt…delay by offering meaningless information._

I took a deep breath and said, "Ok, listen up. You all are aware of the fact that Nick is pretty ludicrously fast right?"

I looked around and waited for everyone to mutter out their acknowledgements while my mind kept working on the problem.

I continued, "We're trying to figure out a way to share the speed and strength between all of us."

_There_.

That should keep the questions going into a predictable direction. Hopefully they'll just focus on specifics and I could keep them bogged down in the details while I figured something out.

Lib questioningly replied, "Oh, so _we _could have those powers as well?"

Fred interjected with, "How? I mean…will Nick lose some of his own strength in the process?"

Jonathan _winked _at me. Oh god…the bastard.

Fuck it. Just distract them with the adorable puppy.

I cleared my throat and said, "Yes, to your question Lib. Fred; magic and nope. We're not actually touching Nick's reservoir of power. We'll be using Constantine's. Think of him as a cosmically charged battery of super speed."

Constantine, like pretty much always, preened under the full attention of the group. The lab jumped around from shoulder to shoulder showing off his supernatural strength. I could swear I heard Kar mutter about the _demon dog_ and I briefly wondered about that before I slapped the errant thought down.

I needed to figure out a way to make the Primal sound like a good idea to the 'goody-two-shoes' while not outright lying to them.

Fred wasn't so easily distracted and proved it when she turned back to me and asked, "That's not an answer, Andrew."

_Ouch, _she only uses my full name when she knows I'm dancing around something.

"Nick shared a bit of his power with Constantine a while back. The piece seems to have grown on its own from there on…so all we need to do is splice off more pieces. Constantine can grow it back and we'll all be as Nick says '_marginally more difficult to kill'_."

She frowned and continued, "And yet I feel as though this isn't the entire story, Andrew."

I sighed theatrically and counter-frowned at the crazy smart brunette. It was time to turns things back around.

"Why do you say that?"

She clenched her fists together for a moment before grabbing me by the arm and pulling me closer to her. Perhaps I..erm…misjudged the situation.

Fred pinned me with a glare and used her superpower of making me feel guilty. I futilely squirmed around but she wouldn't have any of it.

"I know you're not sharing all there is, Andrew, so how about you just talk to me and pretend I'm not an idiot."

What was the least amount I could share with her?

"Fine. Nick stole his super speed from a demon he killed. Now we found a way to share it but there are…side-effects."

The brunette nodded as if she expected it and motioned for me to continue.

"The demon was…" I briefly paused to affect a little sad smile and continued, "It was a pack predator. Parts of its instincts come with it. You know…cravings of meat and the urge to go out and _murder _anything that threatens his 'Pack'."

She still looked a little unconvinced so I tried to offer up a little more information.

"I explicitly used the word _murder, _Fred. Buffy patrols Sunnydale for demons…Nick goes out stalking for demons to kill. Which incidentally is pretty much the difference between those two..."

Perhaps she'll turn her mind to where the Slayer Powers come from…

Instead she just kept staring at me.

_Fuck_.

Why couldn't things just be straight forward? I still had another ploy pup my sleeve. It was a Nick favorite as well. It involved simply sighing deeply and trying to sound just a _touch _ashamed as if you're admitting to something _terrible _but conveying you don't _actually _give a shit.

It sounds more complicated than it is.

I sighed and said, "The worst of it is that those instincts change your…priorities. The way Nick explained it…it's as if the rest of the world falls away. Your immediate friends and family jumped over everything else you value which _might _be construed as bad." I looked up and stood as straight as I could, "I don't believe that though."

She _still_ didn't look she bought it completely but it just had to do as Nick and Buffy walked out of the basement right then. Buffy looked nowhere near as upset as I imagined and the slight smile playing on Nick's lips was downright _interesting._

I wondered whether it meant that he got everything out of the conversation that he could…or if he's simply pleased the blond murder-machine doesn't try to kill all of us.

"_Let me know when you find a Mohra Demon, Buffy"_

The murder-machine actually smiled at him and said, "_I will and…thanks."_

Nick bowed his head and smiled back at her, "_You're quite welcome. Good hunting, Buffy."_

"_You too. I guess I'll see you at the negotiations tomorrow?"_

Nick nodded and replied, "_Yeah, we'll all be there."_

So he told her about how to make Liam human again…interesting. I wonder what negotiations he's talking about though…perhaps the new 'recruits' from Pylea? Or the demon ladies that want shelter with us?

We were all quiet until the Slayer walked out but Fred broke silence immediately after that.

"Nick! Tell me; what are the downsides to sharing the speed-demon's…speed?"

Nick turned towards me, smiled widely, and said, "Well, Freddikins, it changes you. It changes your priorities, makes you intensely aware of everything around you, and in your case…probably switches out your taco cravings for bacon ones."

I caught his quick wink and almost sighed in relief when I realized he heard me talking with Fred. This could have ended badly.

"That sounds awfully vague, Nick…"

Our warlock walked over to Fred, swung his arms around her and said, "Ok. Specifically…it makes all my friends a _lot _safer. The downsides are not insignificant but it _is_ up to you whether you want in, sweetheart. No one would _ever _force you."

That should put her at ease, at least a little bit, and I could tell it was working. She was clearly less worked up and unlike the way she dealt with me…she seemed to be more open to Nick.

She was still frowning when she replied, "What _exactly _are the…lets call them '_new priorities'_?

Nick's smile never left his face when he said, "The health and safety of family and friends comes first. It comes before _everything_." He stared at her for a moment before continuing, "I mean that Fred. It even comes before _pretending to be good_. It implies a willingness to let the world _burn _just to keep your friends safe."

_Oh. _

That was a pretty big gamble of his. I wasn't exactly sure I would have played it the same way but lets see how he works this angle. She's clearly going to bristle when you present her with naked carelessness.

Fred's eyes widedend comically when replied, "No! That just not right! You're supposed to at least _try _to be good. This feels like you're just skipping that as if it's simply _unpractical _to be good!"

Hmm, it's a less automatic response than I expected. That being said; all Nick has to do now is present her with a _terrifying _example of that line of thinking failing in the past and more _palatable_ view of the future.

Nick just smiled some more and continued, "That's because it is, Freddikins. The major force for good in this world, the _fucking _Powers, blackmailed me explicitly with first…_your_ sanity and afterwards all of your lives to make me do battle with an _Old One_."

Ok, that's the scary bits. Where is the safe and cuddly option for the future?

Nick sighed a little and said, "You can help us try to be more _moral_ in the way we go about our business and I promise I won't just disregard your opinion Fred…but you have to promise to try to keep the knee-jerk responses down, alright?"

And there it is.

Words really don't cost a thing.

**AN: **Please leave some feedback! I always enjoy reading reviews and who knows...the next chapter might come quicker ;)


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